Spice and Wolf: The Home Stretch
by BrandonColonel
Summary: This replaces book 17 in the series. Lawrence and Holo wake up two days after their victory in Lesko. They decide to leave for Yoitsu as fast as they can. But as they arrive, they find out some new information. Amazing cover artwork done by SpicyCraboo on Reddit and Deviant art. Definitely go and check out her stuff!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is a story meant to replace what I felt was an awful ending to the Spice and Wolf main story. Book 17 did not do the characters justice at all in my opinion, so I rewrote it! I felt that it was fundamentally wrong to not see Yoitsu, the place that sparked the journey in the first place. And for Holo to go back on her decision to marry Lawrence after being the one to "propose" herself just seemed out of character and simply wrong. Everything in this story keeps inside of the main and established canon without interfering with anything before or after book 17. I wanted to focus on a main "theme" so to speak, so everything here focuses on home in some way. Whether it's going home, seeing home, arriving home, or living at home, everything is centered around home. I hope you enjoy my first, and possibly last, fanfiction!**

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 **The Home**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Wolf and Happiness Sought**

When Lawrence next awoke, it was a full two days following Holo's proposal of a "new contract." After having just broken his fever before the excitement of the day that followed, he almost fell back into another fever. So, when he slept after having shared a cup of wine with Holo, his body slept two full days in recovery. He felt very refreshed. Lawrence realized from the angle of the sun streaming through the window that it had to be about mid-afternoon. He sat up and reflexively tested his wounds. As he began to remove his covers to leave the bed, Lawrence heard a rustling in the room, signaling that he wasn't alone. Although he was quite sure of the sound's source, a quick side glance revealed none other than Holo sleeping at the desk not too far from him. As she woke up, she still had the imprints from her creased robe etched on her face.

As Holo noticed Lawrence laughing, she quickly snapped, "The nerve of such foolish males! Laughing at a tired maiden who has worked hard keeping them alive." While Lawrence stopped laughing almost immediately, the smirk was still present on his face. Although, Holo's tail was still wagging slightly, so she wasn't entirely angry with him, so he fired back, "Well I'd hope for as much, after all the work I did in Ruvinheigen keeping you well. And did you not say that you would use some ancient technique of your homeland should I ever fall ill?" To this, Holo took on a devilish grin and replied, "Oh! The Yoitsu approach. Would you like to hear what it was after I have used it on you twice now?" The look on Holo's face warned Lawrence to back down now, but his merchant's curiosity got the better of his senses and he asked. She quite gracefully walked over to him, bent over to meet his ear, and whispered almost seductively what was involved in the Yoitsu approach. Lawrence turned several shades of red that he felt he had never before achieved. Sure enough, as he lifted the covers, a mound of wolf fur lay in the bed with him. To this, Holo cackled a hearty laugh that wrung tears from her eyes.

"We will soon be married, and this is what gets you so flustered? Had I known that, I would have used the Yoitsu approach far more often. But, 'tis not as if we haven't slept in the same bed before. What makes this so different?" She played innocent in her voice and words, but the same devilish and merciless grin remained on her face. All the while, her tail swished rapidly back and forth. "It…it… it!" "…!" "The licking! I draw the line at licking me!" Lawrence replied while his voice cracked several times. Holo mocked a look of horrible offense at his words, bringing a hand up to her chest. She countered with a rather coy, "Well we wolves never found any issue with it? I honestly thought you would like it. If even a little too much. I guess I was mistaken." At that last part, Holo truly did look somewhat disappointed.

"As you well know, I am clearly not a wolf. Licking has a very different meaning to humans. Also, I am still quite new to this. So please, don't do that again while I'm unconscious." At this squirming reply from Lawrence, Holo brightened up and giggled a bit in her reply, "Hehehe, I promise to keep all such things to the times when you are awake." Lawrence groaned at the obvious loophole in his plea. He didn't think he was quite ready for such a thing from Holo just yet. But all the same, the thought that Holo was willing to do so with him did make Lawrence happy.

At this last exchange, Lawrence started moving from the bed, eliciting a concerned look from the Wisewolf. "How does it feel?" Holo questioned. "Well, it still doesn't feel good, but better than when I got stabbed and good enough to walk at least for some of the day without immediate need for support." Holo gave a worried, yet satisfied look on her face. "We should be expecting word from the whatever company sometime soon. That worrisome army outside the gates pulled out of their own accord once some brave soul ventured out of the city to inform its leader of what had transpired with that spineless snake of a negotiator. It seems that some cease to do their jobs once they are no longer being paid." To this, Lawrence sighed a heavy sigh of relief and leaned back into the bed. "That is probably the second-best news I've heard in all my life." This gained a happy smile and tail wagging from Holo. As Lawrence sat back up from the bed, she immediately clung to his arm.

"Well, shall we go meet the others? The hare and the sappy one have been trying to pry you from this room ever since you fell asleep. They want to show you their silly coin that has made all of this nightmarish ruckus." Lawrence permitted himself a small chuckle at Holo's severe downplay of recent events, gaining him an annoyed sideways glance from the still clinging Holo. It seemed she truly was upset at his continued interference in all that transpired after having given his word to end his adventuring for her. But in the end, she said nothing past the look she gave him. "Yes. I would very much like to see the coin that caused all of this."

As the two descended to the second floor, Hilde and Millike were busy counting gold coins and assessing their value. Millike was the first to notice their approach, likely due to his lesser concern for the Debau Company's continued success. Millike shot an annoyed glance at Holo before seeing a tired but happy look on her face, and quickly changed to one of regret. Hilde was the first to break the silence as the pair entered the room. "Ah! Master Lawrence! Lady Holo! Welcome! While I am saddened to say that you two are not the first to see these coins outside of the very person whose hand had minted them, I am pleased nonetheless to present them to you now." Lawrence could not have missed the titles with which he addressed Holo and himself with if he were dead. And sure as could be, Holo seemed very annoyed with the title granted to her, no doubt because it reminded her of her time being worshiped in the wheat fields and how she despised such treatment.

However, what he almost did miss was how Hilde had said "present" instead of "show." As Lawrence looked questioningly at Hilde, he noticed the same bewildered look on Holo's face. No doubt, she had noticed the odd wording as well. But Hilde simply beamed with the face of a merchant who had just conquered the whole world as he held up a box of coins. The box was made of oak and likely was an expense in and of itself. However, what struck him was that it was separate from the coins that they were counting and had already counted. Hilde continued at their astonished faces, "We received word from the Debau Company rebel faction on a fast horse, not too long before you both came to see us. They know full well the state of their purse, and after seeing the caliber of merchants on my side who are able to fight them at their level, they have relented control back to Debau and myself. We have won! So in celebration, I have decided to present you both with three hundred golden coins of the sun. May you find happiness in all you do from this point on. Start a shop, continue traveling. Whatever you do, just do not forget the joy you have spread to us and the world at large that will be drawn together as a result of your persistent courage and determination. In comparison to that, this gift is of minor consequence."

Holo flicked her ears a bit in annoyance at the mention of continued travel. While she did not mind traveling, she did not want to put up with the adventures that were likely to drag the two of them into its clutches. Knowing this, Lawrence accepted the box and spoke before Holo could do as much herself. "I think a shop is definitely in order. While we have a few more stops to make on our route," Lawrence made specific emphasis on "we" and "our" as he looked at Holo, "we plan to open up a shop as soon as possible in order to live a quiet life together." Holo however, couldn't keep quiet at such prey. "'Tis the plan, should this one keep his nose out of hornet's nests. Honestly, my dear Lawrence just does not know when to quit."

"If I may propose a suggestion, I think that you may like my offer." Hilde responded. "With Debau and myself returning to power, I can assure you a shop of your choosing anywhere you would like to set up in all of Lesko. I will even have one built for you if you find none to your liking." Hilde seemed to be trying every tactic he had at his disposal in an attempt to keep Lawrence and Holo close, and Lawrence realized it was likely to again offer him a position in the company some time down the road. "I think I will let Holo decide where we settle down. While it is indeed my dream to own a shop and take root in a town, it is Holo who simply dreams of a home."

Realizing the one to convince was Holo, Hilde changed tactic and tried talking about specific amenities he could build her and the local taverns that held the best wines. It was truly a masterfully crafted sales pitch, worthy of the ages old Debau Company treasurer, Hilde. Yet none of it seemed to so much as touch Holo's ears as she looked up and said boldly, "I have decided where I want to live. And it is not in Lesko. While you speak of very enticing things, it wreaks of adventure and intensity the likes of which my beloved Lawrence could never stay away from. No, I want someplace much quieter than Lesko."

At this, Hilde sighed in defeat, realizing a hare could not win a stare down with a wolf. "While it is definitely in my best interest to keep you both close at hand, who am I to stand in the way of such simple, yet noble, dreams when I have pulled you both along for my own extravagant ones? The offer still stands should you ever come back to stay. And if you ever need something of me, do not hesitate to ask, as I will move mountains to satisfy my debt to you." Hilde smiled at that last part as Lawrence and Holo caught his none too subtle mining joke.

Just before leaving, Lawrence had to ask, "Why did you refer to me and Holo as 'master' and 'lady' earlier? While we helped you a great deal, I don't see the need for such formalities." To which Hilde smiled with a look that said Lawrence had missed some simple thing. And indeed, it seemed he had. "Master Lawrence, do you not show the utmost respect to those whom you are trying to sell the most expensive of goods to? If you stand to make a tremendous profit, should you not use any and all flattery at your disposal? I attempted to sell you a home. A life! It was a most expensive sale indeed." Hilde paused for a second as his expression turned to one of resigned defeat, "But it seems as if my individual sales techniques are in need of a little work." Truly another speech worthy of the great merchant. Even if it was a defeated one.

Lawrence bowed as far as his wounds would allow before ending the conversation. "I thank you for your kindness and gift. Rest assured the we will use it well. But, Holo and I have other places we would like to go to today." Hilde was not surprised in the least. "But of course! If my selfish desires could not keep you in Lesko, I have no right to confine you to my room." Just as the two turned to leave, Millike spoke only one thing, "I apologize Lady Holo. You were simply doing as I had done these past few days, and I berated you for it out of excitement. Please accept my apologies." Holo nodded a satisfied nod and replied, "Twill all be forgiven if I have good wine and meat to share with my dear Lawrence." Millike said quite plainly, but seriously, "It shall be done." At that, the pair took their leave as they headed to the local taverns to find food.

As they walked, Lawrence inquired after their destination; the place Holo had chosen to live their lives in. "'Tis a place to warm your body and cool your mind. You will see when we get there. After we have gone to Yoitsu, I shall take you there myself for it is not far on my fast feet." Holo looked joyful, so Lawrence quickly looked away to hide the rising horror at riding her again at such a maddening speed in Holo's true form. The form of a giant wolf the size of a building, capable of eating him in a single bite. Her dainty features at the moment hid the terror of her true self. However, Lawrence was none to scared of her wolf form as he was riding that form. Moving at those speeds, all cares seemed to vanish as speeds conventionally thought the limit of how fast one could go were erased. From atop her back while she ran, Lawrence truly thought he could catch up to a loosed arrow. Of course, he said none of this to Holo for he had true faith in her to not drop him, and he knew she would think he didn't trust her to not do so. He had simply become aware of his fear of moving too fast. He happily responded, "I can't wait to see our new home. Any chance of telling me the name of our shop before we set it up at least?" "Yes, of course." "…." "Um, so, what is it?"

"Oh. You didn't ask for the name. You asked if there was a chance. No, I shall tell you when we arrive at our new home. I will not make you wait any longer than that." Holo smiled triumphantly at her own clever twisting of words as she grabbed his hand and sped up, signaling the end of questioning. But more importantly, she was signaling her rising hunger as the tavern they headed to was coming into view.

The name of the tavern seemed odd, but the locals seemed to love it. It was called the Grub Log. And as they went in to order some food, it quickly became apparent as to why. With every meal, came a side platter of roasted grubs and insects. Holo rapidly voiced her displeasure at this realization. "Why would one serve the prey of my food alongside each other as if we are supposed to eat both? 'Tis such an unnatural thing." Lawrence, also a little surprised at the offering, but being a seasoned traveler as well, was used to the idea of strange foods. "It's probably a local delicacy here. People in isolated lands tend to find ways to serve what they have access to, so they must have an overabundance of grubs here in Svernal." Holo responded haughtily, "'Tis all well if you eat the bugs while I feast on the meat like a proper wolf should then, right?" Even being a seasoned traveler, Lawrence could still not fathom eating nothing but grubs for the entire meal. So, he responded with, "We will buy enough meat for us both. However, I may just try some of them to see what it's like. After all, how can I call myself a seasoned traveling merchant if I don't sample the local food from the towns I visit?

The service was friendly, but straight forward. They put in their orders quickly and Holo sat eagerly waiting the enjoyment she somehow knew was coming. Without any hesitation, Lawrence popped a pinch of grubs into his mouth as the meal was set before him. Yet, almost as fast as he had put them in, he violently began choking them out. All the while, Holo cackling before him, drink in hand. "Did I not tell you it was unnatural to eat the prey of one's food?"

Lawrence begrudgingly accepted the wine from Holo while wiping his mouth and tongue on his sleeve. "It tasted like wax! And it was heavily salted at that. I'll admit, I should have listened to you on this one, Holo. While I know more food, you definitely know the quality food." Holo smiled triumphantly before eying her own food with her predator's eyes.

The two quickly finished their meals before moving on to collect supplies from around the town. Once finished, they returned with the items to the inn. By now, Lawrence's wound was badly hurting, and Holo was none too happy that he was trying to hide it. "You know, all this heavy lifting would be a lot easier on your leg if you just told me where your cart was. I know that you wouldn't have left it at the inn while only collecting your horse. You seem to value the cart more than the horse at times!" With her head in her hands she continued, "The living embodiment of putting the cart before the horse."

Having realized that he had actually forgotten about having to abandon his cart on the journey here, Lawrence informed her, rather sullenly, about how he had overturned his cart on a road that would have been impassable without skids replacing the wheels. Holo replied quite simply, "Well could you at least give me an accurate direction to take while I search for it? You are in no position to assist me and I fear even if I should carry you in my wolf form, your leg is not yet strong enough to grip my body properly." Lawrence protested, "But I could ride the horse there. You don't have to go alone!" Holo looked down at her feet, "I do not like being apart any more than you do. However, if we are to finish our journey and find our new home, we will need your cart. I would like to retrieve it as fast as possible in case there are need for repairs. With you riding on the horse, I would have to either ride on the horse with you, slowing down the horse, or walk beside it in my wolf form, slowing down myself to match the horse. If I know where to go, I could simply run to collect it, affix it to myself with Luis's help and come back as fast as I can." Lawrence was horrified at the thought of subjecting Holo to pulling the cart. She was not a beast of burden after all. "I will buy a new cart before I put you through that. We have the three hundred gold coins that Hilde gave us, remember. A solid cart above this one's caliber may cost at most five of those coins."

"Lawrence. I appreciate that you are trying to protect both my pride as a Wisewolf and me as your beloved. Do you think I missed your apprehension at putting a mark on my skin when I asked you to grip as hard as you could? I understand that you do not want to make me do the labor of a pack animal. In truth, I am not looking forward to it myself. However, we are partners, and there come times when one must put aside their pride in order to do their share in such a partnership. There have been times where only your skill as a merchant has saved us from ruin. Other times, my fangs and claws were the only course of action. And then other times still when we had to combine our strengths in order to bring about the desired outcome. In this case, while there may be several options available to us, the best and fastest option we have is to let me do it alone. I would like to leave as quickly as we can so that we can see my home, both old and new. And the thought of selling my current home, minimalistic as it may be, is appalling! So please! Let me find my HOME!"

The force with which she uttered that last word left Lawrence speechless. While it was true that he had slept in the wagon for years before meeting Holo, and Holo had slept in it for the past few months while traveling with him, he had never thought of the wagon as a home. But now that he thought about it, the wagon had been the only constant thing besides his horse over the course of his travels. Goods came and went. Business contacts were made, used, and sometimes forgotten. But his cart was there through all of it since he spent his money on it so long ago. And most importantly, it was in the bed of that very wagon that he had met Holo. Without that wagon, he wouldn't have been able to carry enough wheat for Holo to jump into and meet him later that night. And for Holo, it had been the very thing that helped make her first real connection in centuries. Undoubtedly, it was a very important thing to her. But for her to describe it as her home shocked him.

At once, Lawrence changed his views on the old wagon and looked at Holo with trust and determination as he spoke the words, "Go find our home and bring it back then. I left it overturned in the mountain pass where the roads were too difficult for anything with wheels. The roads to it should be easy enough to follow, so the road itself is your guide. But please, take it slowly. While I want you back as fast as your feet can carry you, I won't be there to comfort you if anything happens that should destroy the cart. And if the destruction of a homeland you didn't see caused you such pain, I don't want to know the pain you might feel if your second is destroyed before your very eyes. And worse yet, while you are out on your own, far from where I can easily reach you."

To this, Holo let loose a small tear and replied, "I'll take good care of it. I wasn't in Yoitsu when it was destroyed. But I am indeed here to protect our little wagon. I will ensure that it is in one piece apon my return." She said this with such determination, he half expected the cart to simply appear behind them at that very moment.

Lawrence and Holo said their goodbyes before she left to find the wagon. As the distance was nowhere near that of the expanse between Lesko and Kieschen, Holo covered the distance in less than an hour. While the trek back took considerably longer, she was still back before nightfall.

As Holo returned, she led him out to where she had left the cart so as to not attract attention with her wolf form. Together they pulled it into the stables with the horse. After this, Lawrence proclaimed, "Millike seems to have made good on his promise of good wine and meat. He has prepared a banquet in the town hall. He has told the Myuri Mercenary Company that it is to celebrate the occasion. However, it is just an attempt to further make up for his mistake with good company as well as wine and food."

"I suppose I can forgive the sappy fool of a man. He seems to be doing a fine job of apologizing after all."

When the two walked into the town hall banquet, they were greeted by cheers and welcoming hellos. It was the first time Lawrence and Holo had truly been able to sit down and talk with the troupe as individuals without some other motive involved. Now they all talked as old friends. There were feats of strength, games of cunning, matches of gluttony, and Holo's personal favorite, contests of drinking. And as the mercenary group was the only other in attendance besides Lawrence and Holo, Holo had no need to hide her ears and tail. It was a joyous occasion of merrymaking. As the wine and food started running low, the festivities started dying as well, and groups started forming around the hall to make more intimate conversation easier. Lawrence and Holo joined with Moizi and Luward in order to request something of them.

Lawrence began, "While we won't be able to afford much, would it be possible to hire your company to act as a guide to Yoitsu? Seeing as I promised Holo that I would take here there, the burden is on me to find a way to follow through. And while we have a map, who better to guide us than a troupe named after her old packmate?"

Luward and Moizi seemed almost offended. "Why would you offer payment for such a thing?! As the leader of this company, I refuse to accept any payment for the opportunity to guide Lady Holo, the one who graces our very banner and the recipient of the necklace that has been passed down the chain for centuries, to her homeland." Moizi interrupted seamlessly, "Yes, it would be a disgrace to our name if we did that. We can leave at almost any time, as we have already gathered provisions. So, name your time and we will be your guide."

It was Holo who responded, "Thank you all. You not only diligently held on to the message from my packmate, proved worthy of his name, and decided to help us find my lost home, but you have also kept my foolish mate safe in my absence. I am truly grateful." Luward sensing what was about to come next, interjected, "And before you go any further, we are happy to do it. Please, do not continue and say that you owe us anything. It would disgrace our name, our banner, and that which we stand for if our symbol of victory were to feel she owed us anything."

Understanding that pride quite well, Holo simply nodded with a smiling face and replied, "I shall honor you with legends of your bravery in the centuries to come. Perhaps on the journey to Yoitsu, you could regale me with tales of your heroism so that I may have a legend to tell alongside that which I saw for myself." To this, Luward and Moizi both looked at her with astonishment. Moizi was the first to respond. "Miss Holo, you honor us greatly. Perhaps a little too greatly even. But I will not question your kindness and instead happily accept on behalf of the entire company." Luward stammered his thanks as well. Holo smiled again, "I look forward to hearing your tails. Now, if you will excuse us. I would like to have my dear Lawrence to myself for the rest of the night." While she stood up in a manner to discourage any protest, Ludward and Moizi simply stood with her and thanked her again for all she planned to do for them, and escorted the pair to the door.

As Lawrence and Holo walked back to the inn, they noticed that the town seemed to all have gone to bed for the night. Holo started walking ahead of Lawrence a bit as she removed her hood, certain that no one would see her ears. She half danced, half hopped as she held her hands clasped behind her back as she tilted to one side with her back towards him. As she did, Lawrence couldn't help but think how, under the moonlight, Holo's hair gleamed like fine silk and her skin shown like precious gems. And somehow, he was able to call her his own.

However, when she turned to face him, the look on her face was not the beaming smile he expected to see that he loved so much. It was instead, a more downhearted, contemplative look. "Lawrence, I… I have to ask. Why me? Why did you choose me? After all the times I beat your hand away, turned down your affections, mocked you in public, made a fool of you in front of friends. How did you find it in your heart to love me?" She looked deep into his eyes as she asked this as if trying to pierce his very soul. She seemed almost on the verge of tears. He wanted to embrace her right then, but knew that what she needed most was an answer.

"I don't quite understand why you would ask now, but I will tell you. When we first met, yes, I was captivated by your beauty. And as we traveled, your knack for raising my sale price and lowering my buying price caught my attention. In Pazzio is when I started falling for you though. You cared enough about me to risk your own life so I could get the information to the Milone Trading Company. Even if that was just a logical move to you, few have ever cared enough about me to do anything like that. And when you tried to leave me in the sewers after freeing you, I couldn't bear the thought of letting a traveling companion like you slip through my fingers. While I can't say it was quite love at that point, the seeds were definitely planted in Pazzio." Lawrence began to take on a glassy eyed stare of nostalgia as he remembered more events.

"When you got sick after our gold scheme in Ruvinheigen and I had to take care of you, I had fallen for you already. The fact that you didn't tell me you were sick infuriated me. It was as if you didn't trust me at all, despite all we had been through together. From that point, I started taking a little more to your verbal assaults, learning your habits, and overall tried to learn you better so as to one day attempt to keep you in my life somehow. I knew it was a fool's errand, so I didn't put much stock in it. Then the whole business with Amati happened, and I couldn't help myself. It was as if a piece of myself died. The entire business with Elsa just pained my heart to see two people who wanted to be together but couldn't. Only to look at us and see two people who could be together, but only one wanted to. From Lenos on you already know my intentions because I had stated them clearly."

"While I've explained how, I realize now that I never explained why." Holo, slightly in tears, nodded her agreement. "I chose you because you are like none other I have ever met. You interrupted my world when it was at the height of predictability. You kept me guessing with your many quirks and habits. You endeared me with your smile. But for all my attempts to charm you, it became increasingly clearer as we traveled how fiercely independent you were. Your ever-widening heart definitely played a role in my feelings for you. But most of all, your charm. I can't quite put my finger on it, but your charm did a number on me."

Holo seemed quite pleased with his response, and even started to cry midway through. "Aye. You've definitely improved in a charm of your own since I asked you a similar type of question back in Ruvinheigen. While that answer made me want to hit you over the head with a chair, this answer makes me feel quite special. I am very happy Lawrence."

"So, having heard my answer, what is it that made you fall for me?" Holo showed a rare bit of embarrassment as her cheeks began to blush. "Well, it is not as if my answer is as complicated as all that. From the start you were a dear traveling companion to me. One I was willing to fight dearly for due to your quick acceptance of me. It made me quite happy to be accepted by one so odd as yourself. I had never befriended a merchant before. But as time went on, it was that very acceptance that drew me towards you at a frightening pace. You accepted my every quirk, my every habit. You accommodated my ever-eccentric whims and tastes. You fed me food you would have never bought for yourself. You took care of me. I fell for you due to all that. I finally accepted your hand because of your wolf-like persistence. No matter what, you never gave up. I tried to leave you three times and you refused to let me get beyond your field of vision before turning all my plans to so much chaff. And once that bunhead of a girl interfered, I couldn't help but acknowledge your efforts. For all my loathing of her and her ways, I must find a way to thank her for that one interference. Had she not done so, you would likely be in Kieschen right now with Leroy buying that pesky book, while I would likely be in Yoitsu, crying over my loss."

"So I do have a bit of a wolf in me huh?" Even at Lawrence's bad joke, Holo couldn't find herself able to wipe the grin off her face long enough to regain her malicious one. Instead she responded with her sarcastic words, but with a happy face and giggling voice. "The wolf in you is outweighed by the fool that is you. But you have your moments."

Having both said all they could say, they embraced once more before starting to walk again. "Shall we go back to our room my princess?"

"We shall. I would like to go home soon, so we must rest, my prince."

 **End of Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Wolves and Battles Fought**

It had been several days now since leaving Svernal. The entire way, the Myuri Mercenary Company regaled Holo with stories of their battles, victories, and even a few defeats they claimed had shown their great honor. But once Holo began recognizing where they were, whether by scent or sight, it did not matter, she immediately stopped and addressed Luward. "We have arrived. This is my old home. While I thank you for taking us here, I do not wish to be guided any longer. This moment I want to share with Lawrence alone."

At this, Ludward looked slightly taken aback. "Well… I thought we would show you a few places of our own history." A quick glance from Holo stopped whatever was about to come next from his mouth. "As you wish, Lady Holo." Luward addressed the rest of the troupe before they all said their farewells.

Lawrence, while saying his own goodbyes, understood quite clearly what Holo's reasoning was. She had made it seem to the mercenaries that she wanted to share a tender moment in the place of her birth with the one she loved. However, it was a different reasoning entirely as to why she had done so. With the mercenary group almost literally worshiping her as their goddess of fortune, she couldn't bear the thought of all those eyes seeing her as she wept. For all her strength, she was actually quite fragile. If anyone was to see her cry, it would be the only one she trusted enough to allow. As soon as they were gone, Lawrence immediately took hold of her hand, eliciting a small bit of surprise from the Wisewolf.

"No matter what happens, I'm right here next to you. You don't have to appear strong in front of me. I know what this means to you after all." Holo let out a small tear and a smile in a way that showed her gratitude as she looked up to meet his gaze. "Yes. Right! Shall I show you around?" she said with a mixture of happiness and expectancy.

Trying to lighten the mood a bit, Lawrence changed the subject for a small time. "You know, even I could tell that they were exaggerating almost all of their stories." Holo, keenly aware of his intentions played along. "But of course! Had you not known of my ability to tell truth from lies when we first met, would you not have embellished a bit, knowing I was going to spread your legend after you had passed? The point of a legend is not to spread the whole truth, but to invoke a feeling to those who carry on. Or, to convey an ideal held most dear by the subject of such tales. It matters not that most of their tales were riddled with such embellishments. They want their pride, valor, courage, and name to live on well after they have left this world. And since I know not of the actual stories, I will only be the first to spread the embellished bits. Someone after me will likely embellish further when their memory fails. That is how we get tales of a lone knight bravely fighting an army to a standstill before claiming the throne. It likely came from the last knight of an army being the sole survivor before taking the life of the king." Hearing Holo so casually explain away the origins of some of his most memorable fairy tales was slightly disheartening. But it also made him wonder how she would spread his own legend.

As the pair walked around, Holo pointed out the many things that stayed almost exactly as she had remembered before she left. She showed him meadows where she would bask under the sun, rivers where she would catch fish, trees where she would lose herself in a cup of wine, and open fields where she would play with the pups before it was time to go to their dens for the night. But then came the part that Lawrence was hoping would never happen. Holo was almost frolicking about at her joy from the homeland she longed to return to being unchanged by neither time nor the Moon Hunting Bear, when she turned her back to Lawrence to see a clearing, and she stopped cold. Holo frozen completely in place, Lawrence knew that she could see some form of devastation, just as she could see that the lake at the site of the angel legend was recently made from a landslide. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her small frame. He spoke calmingly and soothingly into her ear, "What do you see?"

"The… the… the battle… happened here?" Lawrence was a bit confused at why she said it as a question. _"Didn't she know she would find damage somewhere in Yoitsu?"_ Lawrence thought to himself. Finally, Holo continued, breath coming in gasps as she fought back tears. "You can see from these divots in the ground that they proudly made their stand here. 'Twas caused by the wolves of my kind… jumping with all their force at the Moon Hunting Bear. However, you can see from these trenches… here, how the beast slashed at them. To cause such a wound to the ground, it must have been quite large indeed. It quite likely was larger than I am now, several centuries later." The whole time she spoke, Lawrence's grasp just got tighter around her, calming her down enough to regain her breath toward the end. "And over there," Holo pointed to a small hill, "was were my den used to be."

This took Lawrence back a bit. As Holo choked slightly, he realized he had tensed up when she said it, and he immediately released her. She simply looked back at him as if saying to embrace her from the front. Just as he took the first step raising his arms, she flew into his chest and sobbed. They stayed like this for several minutes. Holo was the first to move as she realized there was activity around them. Holo uttered but a single word through her almost useless throat.

"Wolves."

That word alone sent a shiver down Lawrence's spine. "We are in no shape right now to handle them. We need to run!" Holo simply looked at him with a protective force in her eye as she took off her clothing. "I just witnessed the destruction caused to my old home. The desecration of my Den! I am not going to sit here and let a few lower wolves of Yoitsu take away my chances at a new home!" Once she removed her last piece of clothing, she immediately reached into her pouch of wheat and began her transformation. So distraught as she was, she didn't even ask Lawrence to look away this time, as she always had before.

Yet, the wolves did not back down. Oddly enough, it was Lawrence who was first to pick up on the wolves' strange behavior. They weren't attacking or even growling. They were approaching with their heads low. As he relayed this to Holo, she immediately stopped growling and listened.

"They… they want me to follow them."

"Then let's go." Lawrence replied simply. But just as Lawrence started following after her, three wolves jumped in front of him, fangs bared and growling more viciously than he had heard any beast growl before. But before even that thought could cross his mind, Holo had turned around so fast and snapped her enormous maw right by the wolves' heads, causing them all to scamper away. The other wolves seemed to nod in understanding that he was part of her pack.

" _I won't let anything hurt you Lawrence. Not even my own kind!"_

"My thanks." Lawrence stammered, half shaking as he stood back up from the ground. " _Here, get on my back. I don't think there will be any running, so there is no need to grip hard with your injured leg. But it may be a long walk, and we are leaving the cart for a while."_ Lawrence hesitatingly looked back at the cart, wondering if everything on it would be alright with them just leaving it out in the open like that. After all, their entire supply of food was in there open to the wilds of Yoitsu. "Do you think everything will be alright in the cart if we just leave it there?" To this, Holo confidently replied, _"The wolves understood my scent the moment we arrived here. And when I came to your defense, they associated your scent with my own. Smelling both our scents on the wagon, they dare not touch it for fear of what I may do to them."_

"Well that's a relief. If only humans were so considerate." Holo sighed a bit as Lawrence again tried to lighten her mood, despite trembling in fear himself. _"You need not be so considerate of my feelings for now. I have cried my tears and vented my frustration. Now I am keeping you safe as well as learning what these wolves have to show me. I will be fine. And as long as you stay beside me, so shall you."_ At this, Lawrence relaxed atop Holo's giant back, and they began to follow the pack of wolves leading them further into the forest.

As they walked, more wolves began to appear. This continued until no matter the direction one looked, they could see wolves extending out to the limits of their vision it seemed. There were even a few that appeared larger than a normal wolf should be, making Lawrence wonder if they were like Holo. Yet he refused to bring it up to her out of fear that it may upset her. Holo's mind was oddly singular focused, and she didn't seem to notice any of the wolves around her besides those which guided them.

The wolves themselves seemed quite reverent as they guided Holo to wherever they were going. After about twenty minutes, Lawrence could see what appeared to be an obelisk off in the distance. As the wolves stopped in front of it, Lawrence realized that this was where they were leading Holo, and dismounted. As Holo narrowed her wolf's eyes at the obelisk, she froze in place. To this, Lawrence took a closer look, one that revealed what appeared to be faintly white veins spreading across the surface.

"But, it couldn't be." Lawrence said quietly to himself. "It's far too big to be something like that." At Lawrence's words, Holo snapped out of her dreaming. " _But that is exactly what it is Lawrence. 'Tis the claw of the Moon Hunting Bear._ "

Lawrence dropped to the ground in astonishment. "But, that would make the bear's paw the size of your entire body! How long does one of your kind need to live to grow that big?" Holo lowered her head as she responded, " _'Twould have to be one of the ancient ones. We thought them all dead, even in our time. It has been several centuries since I left Yoitsu, and I was already several centuries old then. For me to be this large at almost a millennium, the Moon Hunting Bear must be near four times my own age._ "

Lawrence stood up from the ground and began to study the claw when he found something. It appeared to be ancient writing, the likes of which he was not familiar with. He called over to Holo to see if she might know anything.

" _What have you found?_ " Immediately Holo gasped at what she saw. " _That is the writing of my packmate, Inti. It… it says, 'The end of our era has arrived. We only brought this one down with the help of…_ " Holo stopped, shocked at what she had just seen. "What did it say?"

" _Humans. 'We only brought this one down with the help of the humans.' After all I have done with you, I can't chastise my packmates for doing a very similar thing, but, they were the last I expected to find this from._ " Lawrence again looked at the writing and the claw overall. "If humans were the deciding factor in a fight against something this massive, I can see why members of your race are scared of us. I'm a little uneasy myself."

Holo looked at Lawrence with a speed that said she was about to make a retort, but it seemed neither of them knew where to go from there after making such a look. So Holo just turned away and sat on her haunches. To this, it was a wolf of the pack to respond by nuzzling Holo a bit as if to say it understood her pain, and began guiding her to one more place.

It wasn't long before they reached their final destination from the wolves. It was a small shack built in a dense part of the woods. From a distance, it seemed to be a part of the scenery, but as you got closer, fine details began appearing in its construction. In short, it was the shack of a mercenary company used to hiding in plain sight. Holo looked to Lawrence for a bit of wheat so she could change back, knowing she would need to walk inside. After she transformed, he handed over her clothing and helped her dress.

Lawrence let her take the lead as she walked inside of the small, rundown shack. As expected, there was an assortment of rusted weapons, armor, and various scrolls. However, a journal was what the wolf lead Holo to. Just before the wolf left the shack, it turned around and nodded one last time.

"The pack will leave us alone unless we call apon them. It seems that the wolves of Yoitsu had a mission not unlike that of our mercenary company guides. Should a wolf incarnation ever return to Yoitsu, they were to show us these two sites." Holo opened the journal as she said this.

The journal was filled with various accounts of a mercenary company by the name of the Battle Wolves, and its leader, Hedgewick Claus. For the most part, it was rather boring. Simple accounts of victory or defeat, expenses for new gear or repairs to old gear, various strategies for certain occasions, etc. Hedgewick seemed to be a decent mercenary leader by the journal's accounts. But it was nearing the end when Holo and Lawrence became interested, as it chronicled the meeting of Hedgewick and Myuri.

In this meeting, Myuri had approached the Battle Wolves Mercenary Company due to their ferocity in combat. He had hopes that, if nothing else, they would be of assistance to the wolf incarnations as they mainly fought the Moon Hunting Bear. The pack had nothing to offer them but a blessing of true wolves of the forest on their troupe after they left. The Battle Wolves being of an honorable sort, accepted this moneyless job in exchange for nothing more than that blessing.

Contrary to what the wolves thought, it was the humans who fought the Moon Hunting Bear with the wolf incarnations serving as backup. The mercenaries came up with a plan to topple the beast to the ground by using the wolves' speed to run cables made from forest vines between its legs, immobilizing it. And when it next tried to take a step, it would fall to the ground. However, in the process, almost all of the wolf incarnations were either killed or injured. When the great bear was finally brought low enough, the remaining wolves and the mercenary group converged on its neck and began clawing, slashing, and biting away until the Moon Hunting Bear moved no more. The book continued as it read:

 _Then the unthinkable happened. A second of those monstrosities appeared while_

 _we were still wounded and tired. It was in such a great frenzy that it killed three of the_

 _great wolves in a single swipe from its mighty paw. The first one was a worthy foe, but_

 _this was too much for our tired company. But then, the great bear spoke! While we_

 _shouldn't have been so surprised by this, as our employers were wolves capable of_

 _speech just the same as ourselves, even the wolves seemed somewhat taken aback at its_

 _intelligence. It seemed we all thought it to be a mere force of nature, punishing some_

 _wrongful act or destroying a creation made by a god in exile. The voice was distinctly_

 _female and quite capable in her words. She cried out for how mere humans and a few_

 _lowly wolves had slain her mate, the one who was said to have seen the first sunset. When_

 _it seemed that the great wolves were too tired to move, I stepped forward to address the_

 _great bear. I asked why it desired so the destruction of all before it. The great bear_

 _replied with her voice in agony. She said that a fire set by humans and not stopped by the_

 _incarnations had killed her kind and they were the last two. She held the great animals as_

 _a whole at fault for the genocide of her kind. She felt humans were too stupid to_

 _understand what they had done. But now she was considering turning her wrath on them_

 _as well after we had slain her mate. I simply replied, if such a small number of us could_

 _take down such a mighty opponent, just imagine what a city of us could do. If we fall_

 _here, more will search you out. You could at least live the rest of your life in peace if you_

 _stop now. It was a stretch on my part to assume she would agree to such logic, but she_

 _somehow believed me and cried out to the heavens, claiming she would never see humans_

 _again. The remaining wolves were all injured. Too injured to live. So, we asked for their_

 _final wishes. The one called Inti demanded that we sever one of the claws of the fallen_

 _bear and erect it in an undamaged part of the forest as a reminder of what happened_

 _today. He had me feed him some wheat, and by the gods he changed before my very eyes!_

 _After erecting the claw in the ground, Inti etched into it an inscription I could not_

 _understand. That movement was his final one as he collapsed on the ground, dead. Yue_

 _asked us to gather the pups that were hidden in the caves and guide them to safety. After_

 _guiding us to the correct one, she left so as not to scare the pups when, she too, collapsed_

 _dead. There were five wolf incarnation pups in total, ranging in ages from only a few_

 _months, to thirty-five summers. The majority seemed young enough to forget this ordeal_

 _as they aged. As we returned, leaving a few men with the pups, several more had died_

 _from their wounds. This left only Myuri alive. We asked what his final wish was, and he_

 _said that he only wished to make good on his promise. Bewildered that he intended to do_

 _such a thing at this time, we were definitely unprepared for him to bite off one of his_

 _claws and split it in his mouth. He also asked for some wheat, so he could inscribe_

 _something on it. We quickly smoothed out the back so as to make for a better surface._

 _When he finished, the great wolf, Myuri, told us of how there was one older than they that_

 _had left some time ago. And if we or our descendants were to see her, we were to give her_

 _this claw and message. I changed our name that moment to reflect our new mission of_

 _returning this claw to its new, rightful owner, to the Myuri Mercenary Company. We_

 _would never again wear the fur of a wolf or eat the meat of one either. And we would_

 _always fight with the cunning and ferocity shown today by these great wolves. With his_

 _last breaths, the great wolf Myuri transformed again and spoke these words as a proud_

 _wolf. "We wolves of Yoitsu will always watch over you. We will be your banner and your_

 _strength as long as one of us of the old age yet lives." And with those final words, the_

 _great wolf passed as well. The last of the wolves of Yoitsu present for the fight against the_

 _Moon Hunting Bear._

The book ended there and Holo was in tears. But they were not unhappy tears as Lawrence expected. Instead, Holo looked up with pride as she cried, "My pack fought as bravely as I had expected. They fought until they could fight no more and saved five pups in their forethought. They knew to set aside their pride in order to stop a great threat and simply asked for help from those who possessed strength. This is truly the pack I remember. I can mourn my loss of them, but I cannot mourn their sacrifice. For without it, that monster may still yet roam. While I am now at ease over this whole ordeal, I would ask that we not tarry much longer here."

"We should thank the wolves that brought us here. It is only fair after all." Lawrence said this, a bit embarrassed at the thought of actually thanking a wolf aside from holo. "Yes. You are indeed correct. I shall do that now." As Holo went outside, he thought she would find the wolves, but she instead took a deep breath and howled a great howl. This was a howl louder than any he had heard come from her before, even in the city sewers of Pazzio. Though this howl he could discern a note of sadness as well as other emotions. He was surprised at his own understanding of variations in her howling. In response came a bone chilling howl from all around him as the forest came alive with the sound of wolves.

"What did you say to them?" Lawrence asked. "I simply thanked them for taking me to the claw and leading me to the book. They replied with how it was their duty since long before their time." Lawrence looked again around the forest at his newfound respect for wolves and their knowledge and loyalty. It now made sense why some rulers were said to have taken wolf pups as pets. "Let's go make some food at the wagon." Holo smiled a small, but bright, smile.

True to Holo's word, the cart was untouched apon their return. They even found a wolf sleeping beside it that left as soon as they approached. "I think I shall give the book back to Luward if we ever see him again. If he had not already known about it, I think he would appreciate knowing his true origins written in the hand of his troupe's founder." Lawrence wholeheartedly agreed. "We should leave at first light tomorrow Holo. I want to see our new home." "Yes. We shall see it soon." Holo said happily.

 **End of Chapter 2**

* * *

 **While I wanted to write more for this chapter, I just couldn't do it. When I finished writing it and looked back, I figured it was too short, but remembered something I heard from a craftsman. "Work until the thought of changing anything offends you." And I just decided to have this be a short chapter. I considered going into greater detail on Yoitsu, but decided against it seeing as we have no basis for what it looks like besides forested. Also, while seeing Yoitsu itself was a big point of writing this fic, I felt that it should only be a part of this chapter. I knew the moon hunting bear should play into this somehow, seeing as Hasekura didn't finish that story line either. Also, I wanted to restore at least some of Holo's pride in her pack after reading that the wolves were only a minor blip on the moon hunting bear's tale. While I refused to change the canon of the story, I decided to write it in a way that would explain how her pack fought much better than that book would have explained, since her packmates disappearing so easily didn't sit quite right with me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Wolf and a New Home**

When Lawrence woke the next morning, he found Holo gnawing on a piece of jerky. She didn't even seem to be actually eating it so much as excitedly, perhaps even nervously, gnawing on anything within reach. And the jerky was the only thing she knew wouldn't get her in trouble for gnawing on it. When she noticed Lawrence had woken up, she dropped the jerky as if she had never been holding it, and flashed a beaming smile.

"I was so excited all night that I did not sleep. For today, we finally leave for Nyohhira!" Lawrence, practical as ever responded, "It's not like we're getting there today. It will still take us some time to reach Nyohhira." To this, Holo pouted a bit, but still remained cheerful. "I know. But we are still leaving today, are we not? Tis reason enough for me to be happy. By the way, how is your leg?" Lawrence replied without even thinking, "While the wound is still there, I can barely even feel it. Even after all of the walking and excitement yesterday, it never gave me any trouble."

"So you should be fit to ride on my back as we leave for Nyohhira!" Holo again beamed as she said this. Lawrence almost choked. Trying to find a logical reason to avoid riding Holo as she ran at speeds that frightened him, he said, "But… but what will we do with the cart? It's not like we can just leave it here. And didn't you want to get the cart so you could ride to your new home on your current one?" Holo, not losing her smile for a second replied, "But we are only visiting my new home. We are not living there quite yet. You said some time ago how there were villages in the mountains that needed your goods, so we need to go there before we settle down. I would not want to hurt your business by settling down before you even finished the route you were on before we met. So, I find it would be much easier to simply run to Nyohhira, see our new home, maybe buy the land so another cannot take it, and run back so we do not waste any time." Finding difficulty in seeing a hole in her logic, Lawrence had a strained look on his face. His expression finally soured Holo's mood a bit.

"Lawrence, why are you hiding something from me?" Holo asked demandingly. "I'm not. I'd just prefer doing everything in one trip is all."

"LIES! Did you really think you could actually lie to me without me finding out? Back in Svernal, you acted strangely as well when I spoke of leaving for Yoitsu." Holo paused as realization overtook her mind. "You're scared of riding me! Is that it!"

At this point, Lawrence, still in his bed, backed up to the wall of the cart with his hands raised in surrender at Holo's rage. "Not exactly. I mean, I'm not scared of riding you. I'm just scared of moving that fast. I can ride you without any problem, but when you run at full speed, my mind goes blank as staying alive is the only thing I can process."

"Fool! What, do you think I will drop you? Even when I had little feelings for you, I still would not drop you. Have you suddenly developed such fears now that I care so much?" Holo's eyes glowed like hot metal.

"No! I'm just scared of moving that fast is all. It's why I didn't want to tell you. And seeing how happy you were at going to Nyohhira, I didn't want to upset you." At this, Holo's rage finally quieted slightly, and her response was resigned. "Is it simply when I run at all, or only at my full speed?" Lawrence, somewhat surprised at her sudden change in mood at his answer, replied hesitantly, "Well, you've never slowed down from your full speed long enough for me to know, but I'd guess it's just your full speed. I mean, I don't have any problems with horses after all." Holo sighed deeply at his answer.

"While I expect you to work on this little fear of yours in the future, I will assist you for now. If you would like, we can fashion a harness around my body for you to strap yourself into, so you may feel more secure. And as I run, tell me the moment when you begin feeling scared and I will hold at that pace and no faster. With any luck, as I run, you will become used to the speed and I can go faster."

Still a little apprehensive, Lawrence agreed to her compromise. "So, what will we do for provisions? Even if you can hunt for our food, I can't eat raw meat. And there are no guarantees of edible plants in the area for me to eat." Holo responded confidently now that Lawrence had finally given in. "We shall bind only the essential equipment in blankets and tie it to my sides. As you said, I can catch all of our food, so there will only be need to carry spices and such to flavor it. If it is done properly, it should not interfere much with my running, save for slowing me down a bit with extra weight. As it stands, you might have gotten your wish of a slower run without angering me due to this fact." Lawrence looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"Do you have a plan then for our wagon? The journey there will be all right, but what happens if we return to a ransacked wagon?" Holo didn't flinch in her response. "I have already asked for the assistance of the wolves for that while you slept. They will happily watch over the cart in our absence, as long I give an offering to the current alpha of the forest." Lawrence seemed concerned as he asked, "What type of offering exactly." Holo chuckled a bit at his concern. "Tis nothing so special. All they want is a fresh kill that they did not have to hunt themselves presented before the alpha. Us wolves do not require fancy jewels like you humans do. We are more practical that way." Lawrence visibly relaxed at that answer.

The rest of the morning was spent gathering the necessary supplies they would need for the journey. Holo offered some input every so often when Lawrence grabbed what was a necessity for him, but extra weight to her, such as when he tried to pack the soup pot. "Are you still trying to slow me down? Even after I promised to go slow enough?"

"I thought you wanted me to take supplies for the food." Lawrence replied questioningly. "Yes, but for this trip, can you not cook over a spit we can build and leave? I know you like to spoil me with tasty food. And in truth, I ask for it quite frequently. But in this instance, I am willing to sacrifice a little flavor in exchange for speed and ease of travel. Please, only carry the spices and such that we need." Lawrence was shocked at how easily she had come to this answer. After all, she never allowed for sub-par food to be served to her if his purse could afford anything better.

When they had put everything they had decided to take onto Holo and fashioned the makeshift harness for Lawrence, they quickly went over how Lawrence could tell Holo to either speed up or slow down, so as to not need to sit up and open his eyes. This Allowed Holo to go a bit faster as Lawrence's harness was more suited for a prone position than a seated one, since that position made it harder for him to tell just how fast she was going.

They stopped very little, only taking long enough breaks for Holo to rest a bit without the heavy load on her back. As Holo was only concerned at the moment with reaching Nyohhira, she only ate at night when they had officially made camp. Meanwhile, Lawrence was snacking during the breaks she took to rest. Lawrence made a modest dinner with the deer Holo caught on a roasting spit he made. He did take care to fashion a few leaves together to he could catch the meat drippings and baste the meat with it so as to keep it as tasty as he could for Holo. Even if it was her choice to do without, he wanted to at least attempt to give her something she would enjoy with his minimal items at hand. Once she took a bite, Holo replied, "And here I thought you would take this as an opportunity to help me learn restraint in my tastes for food. You do realize that I will now never let you give me an excuse for feeding me that terrifying gruel concoction you forced on me earlier in our travels, right?" Lawrence laughed a bit at her reaction.

"Yes, but you do realize that you will then have a direct hand in what we eat as you are personally catching the food?" Holo cocked her head a bit before she retorted, "Why can you not catch food for me sometime? Am I not your beloved?" Lawrence frowned slightly. "You do realize I've never hunted for anything besides a bargain in my life, right? If you leave the hunting for me, I'll likely die in the forest of hunger before I catch so much as a cold." Holo cackled without restraint as she envisioned the futility of Lawrence hunting for anything. "Tis true! You would be a terrible hunter." Lawrence wanted to feel proud at his victory over Holo, but it was bittersweet, as his victory was at his own expense.

The next morning was much the same as the first. Holo only stopped for breaks when she needed to take off the packs for a bit and rest her back. Lawrence was also now used to her speed while strapped in. Enough to let her go as fast as she could with the burden she carried. As long as he clung tightly behind Holo's neck and never opened his eyes, he couldn't tell how fast she was going.

They arrived at the outskirts of Nyohhira by about mid afternoon of the third day. "Tis surprising that it didn't take longer. It normally took me two days to reach this place. And with my burdens along my back slowing me down, it still did not take even half a day more." Lawrence surprisingly had an answer to this. "Well, wouldn't you have been a good bit smaller back then? I mean, you did spend several centuries in Pasloe. And you mentioned back in Yoitsu how much those centuries had done for your size." Holo was taken aback at Lawrence's sudden insight. As one isn't constantly aware of their own growth, it never occurred to Holo that her size had been the difference. "Ah! It seems even foolish males such as yourself can have a moment of wisdom too. Color me impressed." Lawrence simply smiled at the very Holo-like compliment.

Lawrence arranged the baggage into backpacks they could both carry, so as to not leave anything behind while in Nyohhira. Holo, looking fairly tired after all the running from the past few days, still somehow managed to exude excitement over seeing her new home. "Twill not be long now! Nyohhira is just up ahead!" Wondering where she got all her energy from, even he had to admit, as tired as he was, there was a certain energy and exuberance that filled his chest as they proceeded into what would become their new home town. And then, "Hey, hey! Wait up!" as Holo began to walk into Nyohhira without him.

When they first walked into the town, it didn't exactly look lively. Yet Lawrence and Holo both new that the liveliness was happening inside the bathhouses this time of year. Just as they were about to enter the doors of one bathhouse, an older man called out to them.

"Just passing through, or coming for the hot springs?" Lawrence replied to the man, "We were actually hoping to inquire about opening up a shop of our own here. While we may stay the night at one of the bathhouses here to rest up before going back out, we wanted to at least see the place and possibly buy the land." The man had a weathered appearance and a beard that covered most of his face as he stood there silently for a minute. "Well we don't have a formal town leader or anything. As small as we are, we typically just put things to a vote on the council. Do you have a permit for the digging, or are you buying the land and everything else from us directly?"

"We will be purchasing directly." The man looked down in contemplation. "Well, in that case, I can get a few of the elder masters together to preside over your purchase. When do you intend to build?" Lawrence seemed a little surprised at how smoothly this all was going, but maintained his merchant's composure. "We won't actually be building on the land for another year or so. We still have to close out old accounts on my old route as well as withdraw membership from my trading guild, since Rowen has no power here, and thus dictates that my even being here is a sort of trespass."

"Well if you're not even setting up shop for another year, why not save your coin and come back next year?" It was Holo who responded to this in quite the aggressive manor. "Because what if another comes in takes the spot I wanted! I will not forgive such an oversight as to not claim my pick for a home simply because we will not be here for another year!" At this, the man laughed to himself in amusement. "In all the excitement, I never asked your names. Mine is Cyrus. I run one of the older bathhouses in Nyohhira."

Lawrence, still slightly taken aback at Holo's sudden emotion answered. "My name is Kraft Lawrence. And this is my fiancé, Holo. I am a traveling merchant looking to settle down somewhere and Holo chose Nyohhira, so she could live a quieter life than what I'm used to." Cyrus stroked his beard a bit before responding. "A traveling merchant you say? Do you have any experience running a bathhouse?" Lawrence responded, "Not really. But I am willing to pay a fair amount extra at your bathhouse if you would give me a few pointers while we're here."

Cyrus's eyes took on the look of a master at the mention of payment. "Exactly how much would you mean by extra?" Lawrence put up a devious smile as he responded, "How does a Golden Debau sound?"

At this, Cyrus almost fell on his rear in shock. Not only were the two in front of him willing to pay for advice a year in advance, but they were paying in gold. And the newest golden Debau at that when even the silver Debau had yet to truly be released into circulation. "H… How do you have a gold Debau? The silver coins have yet to be released in even Lesko!" Lawrence replied quite calmly, "The answer is quite simple. I was there when they were minted while having friends in the company itself. That's about as far as I'd like to go on the topic for now." Cyrus stammered his response. "Yes. Of course. I'll gather the other elders. But first, let me show you a room! This way please."

As Lawrence and Holo followed Cyrus, they noted the fairly natural arrangement of the bathhouses. They were not arranged in order of a town so much as arranged where they could fit an establishment around a hot spring. It made for a natural to nature type vibe. When they reached Cyrus's bathhouse, Lawrence produced a single gold Debau and said, "We prize the information more than the hospitality. So there is no need to go above and beyond on the hospitality." Cyrus, eyes wide at seeing such a coin, inquired, "And if I do go above and beyond?" He said this as if trying to see if he could get more money. To this, Holo butted in to voice her wishes. "If you feel so inclined as to go above and beyond, then do so with food and alcohol and I will see to it that the price is adjusted accordingly. We may only look at the baths to see what one looks like these days, but we may not even use them."

This demand put a happy and determined smile on Cyrus's face. At least, that's what Lawrence could gather past the thick mound of hair covering his entire face below his eyes. "Aye. That I can do. I am a brewer after all. I could offer you such a selection as to up your price by an entire gold coin for but a single bottle. As for food, my bathhouse only offers the best no matter who stays here. It's the liquor that I dole out based on payment and behavior."

"I look forward to being one Debau poorer than." Holo replied quite happily. Lawrence just looked at her with a resigned expression.

It wasn't long before Cyrus returned with a few other older gentlemen in tow, and knocked on their door. "Sorry for intrusion. I had planned to bring you to them, but they insisted on meeting you right away." Cyrus introduced each of the three men in turn. "This is Yoseph, Abel, and Ramaninov. They are the owners of the three oldest bathhouses in the village."

The one called Yoseph responded first. "Cyrus tells us you want to buy land for your own bathhouse and pay in gold Debau. Is this correct?" He said this rather coldly and in a bit of disbelief. Lawrence replied quite confidently, "Yes, it is. Me and my fiancé, Holo, wish to set up shop here about a year from now after settling all of our old debts and collecting a few as well. We are willing to pay for the land now and return when my route and other such business is finished."

Ramaninov replied next. "The price depends on the size of the hot spring mostly, and goes up if you decide to build any bigger than three stories fitting more than fifty people." Lawrence expected this and asked, "Do you mind if we begin searching for a spring today, or would you have us wait for tomorrow?" Able replied next, "You may search today, although I don't expect you to find anything suitable before the month is out. However, when you do find a place, I would prefer you inform one of us three early in the daytime, as that is when our duties are most minimal.

Lawrence and Holo exchanged grins before shaking hands with the four men in front of them. Cyrus again apologized for the intrusion before closing the door behind him. Holo spoke up first. "The one in charge of this bathhouse truly seems to be trying to raise his price, seeing how he treats us as esteemed guests. I can't say I don't like it." Lawrence barely even looked her way as he responded, "Well who wouldn't when you've all but promised him two gold Debaus for little more than food, alcohol, and a place to sleep for the night?" She looked at him rather haughtily.

"Tis about time for us to begin looking for a hot spring to claim." Lawrence looked at her a little dejected. "You don't want to rest a bit? I mean, I'm tired and I only rode on your back for the past few days. You actually ran that distance with both me and all of our things piled on your back."

"I want to save the wine and napping for after we have found a spot to call our own. Twill be our celebration festivities." She said this with such happiness that Lawrence dug down deep to find enough energy to match hers. "Then we'd best get started. No doubt more than a few of your spots you remember have been found and taken. So we may have a ways to walk today." Holo, not losing any of her spark, "There are a few places I know they should not have found. 'Twas difficult for even me to get to. I actually had to use both my human form and my wolf form just to soak in its warm embrace."

"Well if it's that hard to get to, do you really want to set up shop there? I mean, how will any guests reach us, let alone our deliveries?" Holo finally puffed her cheeks out in annoyance that reality had set in. Lawrence continued when she did not respond. "I'll take your silence to mean that most, if not all of your spots are like this?" Still with her cheeks puffed out, she nodded, never once looking at him. Lawrence laughed at her childish display. "Well, this is 'our' spot we need to find. If only you could reach it, it's really only your spot correct? We really should find a new spring together."

At this, Holo finally released the pent-up air in her cheeks. "I guess you are correct. I would be slightly annoyed if you were to be unable to come to bed without my aid. So, I guess finding a place together would not be so bad." Holo finally regained her happiness and perky smile after saying this. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

The two were prepared to leave after a quick snack from Cyrus. It was a pork sausage tray with assorted cheeses, washed down with a special winter ale he insisted would enhance the flavor of the sausage and cheese. Holo was all too thrilled by the assortment presented before her. "I quite like the quality of this sausage. And the ale is simply heavenly." Cyrus looked at her with a quiet approval. "I brewed that ale last winter. It just became ready only about three days ago. You two are the first, aside from myself, to have any of it."

"High marks, I must say." The only part of Cyrus's skin visible above his thick beard looked as if it had reddened slightly at her comments. Lawrence also was impressed by the meal. "You must have spared no expense on this. It is honestly quite good." Cyrus replied very sincerely, "We have a saying here in Nyohhira, 'smiles when they come, and smiles when they go.' That's how we treat our guests. If we serve our guests bad food that can't make them smile, then we won't be a bathhouse with any more patrons soon enough."

Holo responded quite enthusiastically, "Well if we weren't trying to set up a bathhouse of our own, you would definitely have two more patrons to add to your list!" Cyrus seemed quite pleased before bidding farewell and leaving them to finish their meal.

"He seems to be a proper male. You should try to emulate him when you feed me." Holo said playfully. Lawrence groaned a bit before retorting, "If I fed you like this every day, our purse would be empty by the end of the week." Holo, unflinching replied, "Then we shall just have to open up our shop before we run out then, now won't we?" "I guess we shall."

As they finished and left, they gave a final thanks for the meal to Cyrus. It took most of the day to find even three spots that were suitable. As they stood near the third one, the two discussed the merits of each location. "Well, the first one is pretty close to the village. We could have easy access to help if we need it." Holo responded tiredly, "Yes, but I feel it may be a bit too close to everyone. If I cannot lay in the baths in my wolf form every now and again, I may just scare off the town when we have no guests of our own." Lawrence flinched at the thought and Holo stomped on his foot for it.

"Well, then what did you think of the second hot spring?" Holo thought for a minute before responding. "It is nicely far away, and the location seems fine for peace and quiet. Yet it doesn't seem so far as to not be reachable if we need someone." Lawrence, choosing his words carefully as he knew she liked this place the best, voiced his main concern. "That is true and all, but the hot spring is very dirty. It will likely take me a month to clean it out before we can even start building and except any guests." Holo squirmed at the understanding of what it would cost to hire people to help clean, as she had no inclination to help with the task herself. \

Lawrence then brought up the hot spring they were at now. "This place may be far away, but it's clean, allows for you to be in your wolf form for as long as we have no guests, and still allows for deliveries with ease. We just have to be mindful of any accidents due to the distance from the other villagers." This was Lawrence's obvious choice for the location. Holo however, was banking on a promise Lawrence made earlier. "Lawrence, did you not say that I could choose where we lived? Are you one to go back on your word? Ah, this is why I made a contract with you to stop adventuring. I should have remembered." She looked into his eyes with great sadness.

"You know it's not fair when you make that face. I said where, meaning the general location. Not the exact spot. I'll only agree to the second hot spring if you help clean it yourself. Not find a way to hire more people." Holo laid her ears flat in dejection. She really wanted that spot after all. It had a rock in the center that was just big enough for her to lay on in her wolf form. But if Lawrence had to clean it for a price, then she couldn't very well make him, knowing she would not help clean it herself.

"Fine then. We can go with this one here. However, you must make this spot worth my while. Understood?" Lawrence had no idea how to do such a thing, but knew he had almost a year to think on it before he had to make good on his promise. "I swear on my merchant's honor. Would you like that in the form of a contract?" Holo's ears shot up at his unusual display of wit that bested her. "Your quips truly are getting faster. I don't know if I like it. I do prefer it when you flounder around helplessly at my every word."

"So, I must ask. Now that we are at the site of our new home, what will the name be?" Holo looked at him in surprise. She had almost forgot her own promise. "Yes, the name. I did promise you that didn't I. Could we not wait just a little longer? Say, after we have purchased the land and have good food and drink to celebrate with? If you say no, I shall not make you wait."

Lawrence did enjoy the idea of including the revelation of the name Holo had spent so much time coming up with into their festivities. "I will allow an extension on your promise as long as you don't do anything to make our stay here more expensive than the two gold Debaus were spending now." Holo mocked ignorance at her own ability to make him pay more for things and seemed offended. Lawrence stiffened at her reaction somewhat. She laughed at the look on his face before responding. "Worry not my foolish companion. Since this will help to make my drink even tastier, I will forgo any extra spending beyond what was agreed apon." Lawrence sighed in relief. "My thanks. Now, shall we get back to Cyrus's place? I think our first round of food and celebration should be almost ready by now."

By the time that they returned to the bathhouse, Cyrus was busy taking care of the guests and their many needs. They passed him on their way to their room and he spoke quickly, "Dinner will be ready shortly. Would you like to have it taken to your room or have it downstairs with the other guests?"

Holo spoke first. "We will eat with the other guests. I would like a festive atmosphere when I tell my dear Lawrence the news he has been so eagerly awaiting." Cyrus, slightly confused but not willing to pry, nodded, gave them the time to be at the table by, and walked off to attend to the needs of the other guests. Lawrence looked at her expectantly, since she had decided to tell him the name of their shop to be before buying the land. But she spoke before he could ask about it. "Well, it seems as if we have a bit of time to ourselves. Would you like to take that time in the baths, or save the baths for after dinner and rest a bit in the rooms?" Lawrence was tired as he responded. "I think some rest is in order. I would like to save the baths for when I can enjoy it all properly."

"Ah, so you would like to be awake enough to appreciate me while fully naked, is that it?" She asked quite seductively. Lawrence almost swallowed his tongue, he inhaled so sharp and quickly as he froze in place. "Bwahahaha! Yes. I am going to have much fun with this while I still can. But with any luck, you will remain this innocent for all time and I can always have my fun." Holo could barely contain her laughter as she said this.

Lawrence was turning beet red, as his thoughts actually did contain a bit of what she had suggested. But he couldn't confess that to Holo, who was having too much fun at his expense. She would just laugh all the more and tease him without mercy for weeks after. So, when they reached the room, he just went to the bed to lie down until dinner. However, as he did so, he was surprised to feel Holo snuggling up next to him. As he turned over, she had a kind and gentle expression on her face. For whatever reason though, he did not feel particularly comforted by it, and he weakly smiled in return.

"I did not miss the truth of your reaction at my playing. It seems I hit the mark in my jokes." Lawrence again turned red and she continued to speak. "However, do not feel ashamed or embarrassed by this. It indeed makes me happy that you feel so, towards me. I mean, if we cannot enjoy each other's company every once in a while, why even fool with the whole ordeal of marriage in the first place? Do not worry, for I will respect your silly gentleman's honor and not tempt you too much past what you can handle."

Lawrence looked at her awkwardly for a minute before responding. "Th… Thank you, Holo. That actually means a lot to me." She beamed before responding. "I know." But then her expression again became devious. "However, I expect you to make up for the lack of sensational fun we could be having now, after we are wed." And the beet red face returned. "Your kindness terrifies me." To this, Holo just snuggled herself into Lawrence's chest and breathed in his scent for all she was worth. "Hopefully this doesn't frighten you so." She said this as she looked up sweetly into his eyes. "Not at all." And he pulled her close as they laid there quietly, napping until it was time for dinner.

When the time came, Lawrence and Holo were very refreshed, and went downstairs. While Holo in particular was excited to see what Cyrus had prepared for them, Lawrence was also looking forward to it as well. "How much meat do you think he will have? Maybe something I haven't had in centuries? Or something delectable that I've never heard of before. He did seem particularly proud of his alcohol. Oh, I wonder if it will be better than his winter ale he gave us earlier today." She went on like this until finally reaching the table where the array of food was quite appetizing before the self-styled Wisewolf who knew no restraint around food.

Cyrus saw Holo's expression and invited her to eat as much as she wanted. "The first gold coin will be enough for the information I'll give you two tomorrow. The second gold coin paid for all of this and more. So dig in, please. Eat you fill." Holo only nodded mindlessly as she almost drooled in anticipation. Before her was a beef soup, an oddly large bird Cyrus called turkey, pork sausages, and lamb ribs. The sides included a mountain of vegetables, fruits, and squash. She was quite pleased by the thought of mashing the potatoes and mixing in butter with them as it made it harder to choke on them. She completely bypassed the salad, insisting that it seemed too much for her carnivorous self to handle.

The desert table consisted of various fruit pies local to the region, a few tarts, and more assorted fruit. However, the main source of Holo's attention after filling her plate with as much meat and sweets as she could lay at the far end of the sweets table. Cyrus noticed her glances and immediately went over to help her in making a selection on the wines available. He pointed to each one in turn describing how they would pair with each food.

"This one would go well with this desert on your plate, but make sure to eat some pickled ginger before switching to it so as to get the full flavor of both the desert and the wine. Oh, that one won't do for your selection. While you may be interested in its flavor, it will make everything you have taste bland in comparison to its strong flavor. Here this one will be quite similar, but the flavor is a bit more muted, and pairs well with the array of meat you have chosen.

In the end, she had at least two different 'desert wines' as Cyrus called them, and three ales. Holo was quite lucky she could drink so much due to her being an avatar of a giant wolf. Lawrence chose one ale in particular at Cyrus's suggestion and promised to try one of the sweeter desert wines when he had finished his meal and was heading to the baths. Lawrence waited until they had settled into their seats and began eating before asking his question. "So, Holo, about that name."

"Meat! Must eat meat!" She said in between bites. She swallowed long enough to give her reply. "It won't be long before you know, so bear with me. This food is excellent! And his taste in paring drink was spot on. If I seem to be swaying from drunkenness, then feel free to shake me back to my senses and pry the name from my brain. Otherwise, I shall tell you in the baths." Lawrence only smiled as Holo's appetite took hold of her. In truth, the food was quite good. Cyrus had indeed spent an entire gold coin on this meal after all, so it was undoubtedly worth it.

When the two had eaten their fill, Lawrence and Holo got up, poured a cup of desert wine each made of lingonberries and other sweet things, and left for the hot springs. They both undressed and stepped into the hot waters next to each other. Holo's face was already flushed red from the alcohol, so the steam didn't help any. However, she seemed quite content. Lawrence didn't want to seem impatient, so he didn't ask again for the name. And he was glad he didn't, because she didn't take long to answer.

"So, about the name. Do you remember our first misadventure together? The one right after leaving Pasloe?" The hand not holding her wine was intertwining itself around Lawrence's playfully. "I sometimes try not to," he said somewhat deflated, "but yes. How could I not?"

"Tis our first true memory together, so how could I not look back fondly? You did say you would chase me all the way here if I didn't repay your silly coins after all. The name of our bathhouse to be comes from that memory. The head of that trading company told you a story after the deal went through, did he not?" She paused indicating she wanted him to respond.

"Yes. He told me a story about a peddler who was eaten by the devil because of his spice infused soul. A rather dull story if you ask me." Holo just looked down, slightly embarrassed at his words. "Maybe I should rethink the name then."

"Don't do that before I even hear it!" Lawrence replied suddenly. "Can I blame my misspeaking on the alcohol?" Holo's expression brightened. "Just the once. I do feel this name sums up the two of us pretty well after all. Anyways, as you stated, the peddler was eaten because his soul was seasoned with spices. I feel you have become a well-seasoned peddler yourself. So well-seasoned that I just want to eat you up with a nice wine. So… I would like to name the bathhouse, The Spice and Wolf Bathhouse."

Lawrence sat there partly dumbstruck and partly in awe. But when he finally came to his senses again, he almost broke into tears before putting down his wine, taking Holo's, who was none to happy about it, put it down as well, and embraced her tightly. Still under the effects of the alcohol, Holo got a little lightheaded at the sudden activity. But once the room stopped spinning, she embraced Lawrence in an equally tight embrace.

"Do you truly approve?" Holo asked softly. "I do. I love the name. Thank you Holo." After finishing their wine and soaking their pain away, they went back to their room to go to bed, eager to buy their land the next day.

 **End of Chapter 3**

* * *

 **This was one of the harder chapters for me to write. Seeing as I had almost nothing to go on for the characters from Nyohhira, I mainly chose to stick with Cyrus. Even then, he had so little dialogue in the books that I still had to make it up as I went. Also, finding a way to choose the location for their bathhouse came in and weighed hard on me. I knew I had to go into some detail on it's choosing, more so than saying, "And Holo sniffed out the perfect spot and they paid." But lastly, I had to put in the reveal of the Bathhouse name. Omitting Lawrence's reaction to first hearing it just sounded like heresy! I couldn't just not put it in. While writing the first chapter was definitely the most fun for me, this one was the most challenging.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Wolf and Final Preparations**

Lawrence awoke first the next day. He debated whether he should wake Holo or not. Since she was going to be doing all of the running today, he wanted her to sleep as peacefully as she could before running with their load on her back again. However, he also thought she might truly bite his head off for good if he went off to buy their new home without her. Luckily, the situation sorted itself out the moment he stirred from the bed. Holo woke up almost as fast as his feet hit the floor.

"Good morning my princess. Did you sleep well?" Lawrence asked lovingly. "I dreamed that we were buying our hot spring and they asked an exorbitant price. And then, just as we managed to pay, all of the water left the spring. They didn't even have enough honor to give us our money back!" Holo ranted.

Lawrence laughed at her silly dream before responding soothingly, "We are only buying land. I don't think it should be too much. While it is also a hot spring, and the villagers are determining the price, it still shouldn't be too much. Our only concern should be that we paid too much here at the bathhouse, making them think we're rich, causing them to somewhat raise their price above market standard."

Holo had a guilty look on her face. "Should I not have promised another of our gold coins?" Lawrence looked horrified. "No! Don't think that way! Because of you doing that, I was able to hear the name of our new home in splendor. While I would have been able to hear the name and enjoy it under any circumstance, the mood provided really did make the experience better."

"So what you're saying is that whenever I want to eat well, I should just have amazing news to set the occasion, and I can spend a gold coin whenever I want?" As she said this, Holo stood up on the bed grandly, taking the blanket with her as a cape and twirling in a spectacular fashion with her right hand raised as if triumphantly declaring her victory.

"Just don't make a habit of it now, while we have the coins. Or else before long, you'll be doing it when we don't have enough." Lawrence said with resignation. Holo looked at him in disbelief. "You're not going to tell me no?" Her expression turned slightly mischievous, but oddly loving. "You truly must love me if you're willing to part with your precious coin for me. You no longer need to worry. For now that you have said this and made me so happy, I will choose the coin I spend on news worthy of the situation." Lawrence looked up at her, astonished, before smiling happily.

"Well, do you want to come with me while I buy our land, or do you want to stay here and rest up before we head back to Yoitsu?" Holo thought for a minute before responding. "We shouldn't waste any time leaving this place. You have another town to go to correct? We will need to stop for goods to sell also, right? I feel I should stay here and pack for the journey back."

Lawrence was moved by her thoughtfulness. But he responded, "Hahaha! Holo, I already got supplies from Hilde and Millike while you were gone in search of our wagon. Did you not notice the extra crates when we packed for Yoitsu? And as for the other town, while yes, they need what I sell them, they can usually make it for another good bit. Winter has not let up in the slightest, and they can usually make it halfway through. The extra hour or two spent with me buying the land won't set us back so much. However, if you truly want to stay here and pack, I will not stop you."

Holo looked at him suspiciously, "Why didn't you tell me you already bought supplies to sell them?" Lawrence responded casually. "Well for one, I didn't actually pay for them. I wanted to, but Hilde wouldn't have it and told Millike that he would leave a few extra gold Debaus in his purse before he left if Millike gave me whatever I needed. So, I took two large boxes of steel broadhead arrows, two boxes of fletching, one box of patching materials, and spices."

Holo, understanding right away what was being transported, asked, "Why not simply take whole arrows, instead of parts for them missing the main body? Would the entire construction not cost the villagers more money and give you more?" Lawrence looked at her kindly, but with a look you would give a child who was trying so hard yet still missing the mark completely. "While you're not incorrect, that also means that my customers will get less arrows in the end. Also, and more importantly, it means I can't carry as much product. With the size of the boxes I have now, taking up the space that they do, I can reasonably sell hundreds of arrows like this, making money hand over fist. Whereas if I were to sell whole arrows, valued at about five to seven times the cost of all this, I might be able to carry two hundred arrows at most. And that would take up most of the wagon. And seeing as I usually want repeat business, I sell what my customers want. Even if I do sometimes make them want something more expensive. Even though I will not be coming back to their village, I would still like to end our business relationship on a good note."

"I assume that makes sense. One of these days, I may just have to learn how it is that you make money this way. I do not like how it goes completely over my head like this." Lawrence laughed without restraint before responding. "So are you coming or not Holo?" Her ears shot up as she replied. "I almost forgot! Yes, I am. If you have the time for it, I want to be present for everything that involves my new home." Lawrence smiled at her insistence. "Well that settles that. We should find Cyrus first."

The two made their way downstairs shortly after dressing, where they found Cyrus at the front desk, looking for papers it seemed. "Good morning Master Lawrence, Lady Holo. Off to look for baths again?" Lawrence smiled as he responded. "No sir. We actually found our spot yesterday, and we were partially celebrating yesterday with the food, as Holo wanted to tell me the name of our shop over a festive atmosphere. By the way," Lawrence produced on more gold coin from his breast pocket, "I think you've more than earned this. It's the second Debau we promised you yesterday."

Cyrus spoke with a slight sadness in his voice, "Although I've probably spent enough on you both, I don't feel as if I can accept two gold coins from travelers who've only stayed one full day and ate a solid meal. Here, I'll just take the one as payment. Take this one back please." Lawrence wasn't even phased. "I do still expect that information you know? If you don't remember, the first coin was for help on running a bathhouse. I still have yet to hear anything, even if you've shown me more than enough in your actions." Cyrus, still looking at the floor, spoke again. "Trust me, I haven't forgotten about that. But if you won't take the coin back, please pick two bottles of wine to take with you on your journey. Any you'd like. Vintage or quality doesn't matter as long as you feel it completes your gold Debau's worth at my bathhouse."

"I would like one of the lingonberries and a winter ale please. Whichever is the oldest and has had the longest time to grow its flavor." Cyrus chuckled at this as she said it. "You, Lady Holo, are welcome to my stash any time as long as it's only one glass per day." Lawrence only hung his head in shame.

The rest of the time was spent with Yoseph, Abel, and Ramaninov, going over the land and size of the building. When everything was all totaled up, Ramaninov was the one to give the final tally. "I see your total as coming out to fifty-two gold Debaus. Forty for the hot spring and another twelve for the size of land in front of it to build on." Lawrence reached into the bag he held containing the one hundred gold Debaus he took with him and counted out fifty-two of them. While there was a surprise that spread on the older bathhouse owner's faces at such an amount being carried around almost trivially, they kept it to themselves fairly well, and took the money. They handed the deed to Lawrence, who simply looked at Holo.

Getting the message, Holo looked up at them with an odd shyness. The Bathhouse owners got the hint and handed it to her instead. Holo beamed with happiness as she held the rights to her new home. But then she grew terribly serious. "If you let anyone else buy this land, I will show no mercy."

Abel responded to this. "While we have never done a sale like this before, I have an idea. We can have a few of the younger ones here in Nyohhira set up stones at the perimeter, marking your bounds. That way, we will remember where your spot is, and you remember when you get back, how big it is. Does this work for you miss Holo?" She looked up, again beaming, "That shall work indeed."

"Well, if there is nothing more you need from us, mister Lawrence, we shall take our leave." Spoke Ramaninov. And the three of them left, leaving Lawrence and Holo alone on their new property. "We did it Holo. We own our land. Now all that is left is to finish our route and build our new home." Holo, not skipping a beat, "Aren't you forgetting one crucial part of the plan? Somewhere along the lines you are to marry ME. Or did you forget our most recent contract in your happiness?" Lawrence saw where Holo was coming from, and swept her off of her feet, bridal carry style. "I never forgot, my princess. No, fiancé. But seeing as I doubt you would be very happy getting married on the road, I would prefer marrying you when I have a place of our own ready for you to sleep in as my bride." Holo smiled up at her sweet traveling companion. "Oh, just kiss me you fool!"

* * *

It had been several months since Holo and her traveling companion had left Nyohhira. They had already passed through the mountain village. Holo watched as her companion gently broke the news that he would no longer be selling to them after this visit, but that he would try and find another trustworthy merchant to carry on in his stead. Holo was proud of her companion. No, mate.

Today however, when she woke up, she found her mate floundering over some little detail she must have missed while she was sleeping in the cart. "Lawrence, what are you so flustered about now? Should we not be going onto the next town you have a debt with or one to close out?" Lawrence looked at her tiredly, but why was beyond her. "Y… Yes, but, do you remember where we first met?"

"I do." Holo narrowed her eyes in distaste. "What of it?" Lawrence faltered a bit at her reaction. "I'm trying to find a way around that place. We could go on to Yorenz, but it will take a bit longer, as we then have to almost backtrack going to Poroson and Ruvinheigen. Or, we could try and skip around Pasloe and go straight for Pazzio. But we're risking running out of food almost no matter which path we take."

Holo didn't see the point of all the fuss. If they risked running out of food, why not just go through Pasloe? Even if she didn't like the place, it was no reason to run out of food. "What possible reason could you have for needing such a detour? It's not as if I hate the place that much." While that wasn't true in the slightest, she hated being without food even more. Lawrence looked up, still disturbed as ever. "While that is indeed part of my reasoning, I'm mostly concerned about what THEY will think. After all, the last time we saw anyone from Pasloe, we sort of ruined their silver scheme and almost ate their town merchant in Pazzio."

Holo puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, thinking that she would never have eaten the pathetic human. Killed her, maybe. But she wouldn't have eaten her. Not in front of Lawrence. However, she didn't say anything to her dear mate because she didn't want to bring light to her oversight of the villager's reactions to seeing them again.

" _How is it that humans can hold grudges for that long?"_ Holo thought to herself. But just then, her mate piped up again. "Holo, do you think, and this is only if we run out, but would it be possible for you to catch our food again? Like you did back on our run to Nyohhira?" He said this so timidly she wanted to laugh. But the sincerity in his eyes kept her quiet. "Yes. If it is to avoid trouble and still eat, I can manage to catch our food once more."

"Thank you Holo. I will make it up to you when we get to Pazzio." She looked on at her mate with equal parts amazement, bewilderment, and love. She never did quite understand the reasons he sometimes chose to "make it up to her" while other times he remained as clueless as a fish is to the land above. But all the same, she did love him very much, and as such, was willing to hunt for him every so often as repayment for all that he had done for her.

Holo only had to hunt for one meal, and they saved the last of their rationed portions for the next day that carried them all the way to Pazzio. After arriving in the gates of the city, her mate made a straight line for the same trading company that had helped them in the past. Lawrence called it the Milone Trading Company. The same tall human whom she had duped the first time came out this time as well to greet them. He seemed to recognize them immediately and called for them to come in to see Marheit.

When the two entered, Marheit greeted them both happily. "I'm glad it seems you both are doing well. I heard about your unfortunate circumstances at Poroson. Yes, that was quite unfortunate." Holo stood there as Lawrence finished the pleasantries. "Yes, I'm glad it worked out too. I wouldn't have been able to make good on my promise to Holo had it not. In fact, she is now my fiancé, and we've already bought a plot of land in the north to settle down in. So this in fact will be our last trip here, likely. At least as a merchant that is." Marheit looked on in amazement. "You know, I always thought you two would do well together. It pleases me to hear that things have worked out splendidly between the both of you."

Holo cut in at this. "If that is enough to make you happy, then you may be overjoyed to hear that your story to my dear Lawrence was the inspiration for our little bathhouse to be." Marheit didn't have to feign interest at Holo's words. "Oh, really? I must hear it then?"

"Tis called the Spice and Wolf Bathhouse. Lawrence was kind enough to let me name it when I remembered that odd little story you told him before we departed from here." Marheit clapped in amusement and appreciation as he continued. "Hahaha! I love it! Definitely a fitting name for a bathhouse run by you two, indeed. So, what can I do for you two?" Holo watched as Lawrence put on his merchant's face, as she had seen him do so many times before. "We have another selection of furs for you to consider. They are quite nice fox furs."

Marheit simply looked at Holo as he spoke again. "You're not going to tell me that these foxes ate nothing but insects and are now just as light, are you?" Holo looked down as she again remembered the devious trick she pulled last time she was here. Just as she was about to apologize, her mate spoke up for her. "While she's a great negotiator, I'm afraid she's not quite cut out for the merchant world. Her tactics wouldn't get her invited back to many towns to trade again. However, she does mean well. Even if it is for my sole benefit." Holo bumped her mate on the back so he looked down on her beaming smile for how he just saved her from apologizing.

Marheit continued, "Well, considering our past history together, and as a gift for your pending nuptials, I will buy your goods at thirty percent more than what I would have normally bough your goods for. Holo immediately thought of the myriad of ways that statement could be meaningless. But ultimately, her companion decided to trust the other merchant for what he said. They ultimately received nearly two hundred Treni silver pieces.

The next stop was fairly uneventful with the exception of their meeting with Jakob of her dear mate's trading guild. Though Lawrence had requested her permission in advance for this, he seemed almost scared for whatever reason as he approached the door. So, to calm him, Holo walked up to her mate and put her hand on his back as she smiled a tender smile at him. "Thank you Holo." Lawrence then walked into the trade guild.

The large man named Jakob was as loud as ever. "Lawrence! You're back! And still traveling with such beautiful company I see." Holo faked an innocent blush at the compliment. "Oh, stop it. You're too kind." It was then that Jakob saw the look of determination on her mate's face. "Something tells me this isn't your ordinary visit. I hope you haven't gotten yourself into more trouble."

Holo noticed a slightly mischievous grin spread across his face as her mate looked back at her for a moment. "More trouble than you could imagine. I finally worked up the courage to profess my love to Holo somewhere along our travels, fought for her hand, and then she finally took it. Now she's my fiancé. I almost don't know what to do now."

"Bwahahaha! My boy, you marry the girl and live happily with a beautiful woman for the rest of your days! Son if I had your luck, I wouldn't be asking for advice from old men who can't get a date to save their lives." Her mate looked back nervously to see her mildly annoyed face. She softened a bit when she realized he was looking, knowing how nervous he was about this. "Jakob, I'm not here to ask for advice. I'm here to ask you to attend the wedding we will be holding in about one year's time. That will give us enough time to complete our route and make it back to Nyohhira, so we can build our home together before we are wed. And, I would like you to stand in as my father."

The still chuckling Jakob grew deathly silent at these words from her mate. The loud man looked back and forth between her and Lawrence before getting louder than he'd ever been before and picking up both Lawrence and herself in a hug that lifted them both off the ground. "You are such a good son! You've brought me a daughter too! I'm so proud!" Even though the volume hurt Holo's wolf ears, she was moved by the sincerity of joy felt by the man. Enough that it made her happy as well, despite the ringing in her ears.

Before they left, they gave the approximate time and location of the wedding, and the large, loud man exclaimed with joy how he would be there. Lawrence looked at Holo when they got on their cart. "That went well I think." Holo looked up with a mildly approving glance. "Had it gone any better, I think I would no longer be able to hear you." Her mate looked at her apologetically. "Do not make such a face. He is simply an obnoxiously loud man who is sincerely happy for a person he cares deeply for. I mind not. However, I much prefer the look on that Weiz fellow's face when you told him the news and did not invite him. 'Twas much funnier."

The next town of note for the Wisewolf came at Kumerson. Shortly after entering the city, Holo noticed a familiar scent. "It seems I have a tail." Her traveling companion, again as oblivious as a fish, simply looked at her as if she was drunk. "Of course you have a tail." He cutely cut himself off before continuing with what he almost said in public, Holo noticed. She couldn't help but smile at her mate's awkwardness. "I'm not talking about that you fool. It seems that a person from our past has caught sight of me." Her dear Lawrence finally caught on as he sped up the horse. "What? You do not want to show off your soon to be wife to the man who almost stole her from under your nose?" Holo taunted. "I'd sooner jump in a fire." He said.

Once settled into their lodging, the pair made their way towards an old friend. "Hey! You're back! And still together I see. Did my love coaching actually work, or are you two still, 'just friends'?" Mark asked. Holo responded first, "Well I do not know what exactly you said to him, but he did confess to me in Lenos."

"And you've been together ever since right? I knew you two were perfect for each other." Lawrence spoke rather dejectedly. "Actually, she turned me down flat. But I kept at it for some reason until she finally decided to put up with me."

"'Twas I who actually proposed to him in the northlands of Svernal." The interesting man named Mark just stared at her in disbelief. Holo, sensing his question, answered it before he could ask. "I turned away his hand for reasons too complicated to explain. I proposed to him because he would have been too embarrassed or scared to ask himself. He seemed too comfortable with me simply not leaving his side." Mark simply laughed. "Well, however it got done, you two are set to be married. Are you going to be settling down, or keep up the adventure?"

Holo felt bile forming in her stomach at the thought of continued travel after this last stretch. Her mate answered while she was thinking about this. "No. We'll be settling down in Nyohhira where we've already purchased land to build a bathhouse. We'll be rescinding my Rowen membership in Kerube before going on to finish up building our bathhouse in Nyohhira. But I do have a favor to ask of you."

"As long as you're not asking me to take nails again for ridiculous prices, I'll do my best." Holo chuckled at Mark for a bit before Lawrence continued. "Mark, I would like you to be my best man." This made her mate's friend fall silent. At this silence, Holo jumped in. "Mark, we would like to give important roles to those who helped us get to this point. You helped my dear Lawrence open up to me for the first time. For that, we would like you to be Lawrence's best man in our wedding. Please don't refuse." Holo decided to use her saddest puppy dog eyes in order to ensure this Mark fellow couldn't say no. Of course, he didn't. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this wedding for the world! Of course I'll be your best man!"

Holo lost interest after that when the conversation turned to business. Her mate's business had been somewhat less exciting since they got back on the road. True to his word, he had stopped most of his risky business strategies in favor of guaranteed, steady profit. Since he never lost anything, her mate only gained. This made it easier for her to eat as she wanted. She was careful though, to not blow all their money since they would need quite a bit on the journey from Kerube to Nyohhira. On that journey, her dear Lawrence wouldn't be able to sell much, seeing as he will be leaving his human pack in Kerube. Why he had to was beyond her. But it was something about how his pack didn't do business in the north and they didn't want their packmates out there. Why they were so restrictive was the part she didn't understand.

While her mate was still talking business, Holo interrupted for a minute. "Lawrence, I think I shall go on to the one I want to see here." Lawrence looked a little upset by her wanting to go alone. She knew that since he wanted her there when he asked people to their wedding, he wanted to be there when she asked the people she wanted to be there. However, this one was most important to her. Not for who the person was, but for what Holo wanted them to do. She was trying to follow the human tradition of marriage in what she had planned.

She didn't remember the layout of the town very well to guide her to the destination she sought, but she rarely forgot a scent that bad. It wasn't long before she entered the alchemy district. She had a perfumed cloth handy this time as she went in to try and counteract the smell of sulfur in the air. With her sense of smell, just a single drop was enough. The rest of the cloth was simply for filtering the air a bit.

Eventually, she reached the home of Diana, the giant bird incarnation. She was just about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened before her. Diana was smiling down at her. "I saw you from my perch on top of the building. You looked so determined, I couldn't let you wait at the door. So, I was waiting for you here."

Holo just stood there uncomfortably. Maybe she should have brought Lawrence. She now understood the comfort felt by having your mate present during such distressing times. But she was here, and he was not. So she steeled herself and looked the smiling Diana in the eyes. "As you hoped for, Lawrence and I have decided to marry. I have decided myself to follow a few of the human traditions and as such, I need a mother or father to give me away. You are one of the few I know who are older than I. I also have a great respect for you as one who has lead this district splendidly. As such, I would like to ask you to stand in as my mother for the wedding."

Diana seemed wonderfully surprised. Elated even. "I would be glad to my dear. When exactly do you plan on having this little ceremony? I will clear my schedule for it." Holo breathed a sigh of relief as the hard part was over. "We will be holding the ceremony a little under a year from now. We want to finish our shop before we hold it, so we can live in our own home as soon as we are wed. We shall send word to you when we are halfway through building. By the time you reach us, we should be done and ready to marry."

"Oh, you are not having it here? Where are you going?" Holo widened her eyes as she realized she never said the location of her home in her nervousness. "Oh! I am sorry to have forgotten that. We have a portion of land we bought in Nyohhira and that is where we shall be wed." Diana's interest piqued at this. "Ho ho! Nyohhira you say? That is quite the distance. This will keep me away from my district for quite some time. You know my price for such a request."

Holo hung her head in resignation as she spoke. "How many stories of mine would you require?" Diana put a finger to her lips as she thought, superficially as it seemed to the Wisewolf. "I will require three great stories. The length matters not as much as the impact. I will hear them whenever you decide to tell me." Holo looked up as she spoke again. "I will tell you them now, as we may not have another chance." Holo watched the grin spread across the bird incarnation's face as she opened the door wide. "Do come in then. I have some tea brewing as we speak." Holo walked in and sat down on a prepared chair. After Diana brought her some of the tea she mentioned and sat down herself, Holo began with the tale of the Golden Sheep.

Holo later rejoined her mate quite some time later. Both of them seemed tired and hungry. "Holo, you look like you haven't eaten all day. Did she not feed you?" Her mate said this with a hint of fury in his voice. It made her happy to see he cared so much. "She gave me a dark tea. But no, nothing to fill my belly. I am rather hungry and tired. Could we not go somewhere close?" She watched her mate's expression change to complete concern as she asked for a close location to eat at. "You need not worry too much. I am happy after all. It went well, and she said yes."

"Oh! That's right. I can't believe I forgot to ask about that! I'm glad she agreed. I take it she wanted a few stories in compensation?" Holo merely nodded her head as she held up three fingers in exhaustion. Holo watched as her mate leapt into action getting ready to leave for food. He ended up taking her downstairs and simply ordered a few of the snacks from the bar alongside some wine. Holo looked at him questioningly. After he got the food and drink in hand, he set it all on the table and explained. "With how hungry you seemed, I wanted you to have a snack before we go for a meal we need to wait for." Holo's eyes brightened up immediately at the realization of her mate's thoughtfulness, and she dug in. After that, Lawrence took her to a local tavern selling roast pork.

The next stop they made after leaving Kumerson was Tereo. This was the village where that bun head lived. However, Holo had decided that this was the best way to thank her for all she did to put them together. When she made the suggestion to Lawrence and gave her reasoning, her foolish mate gathered her up in a warm embrace and spun her around in a circle as he held her. She didn't see the need for such a theatrical display, but she didn't complain as he had given her enough good wine to get drunk off of. He must have seen it as some type of character growth she thought. In actuality, the centuries old wise wolf simply saw it as repayment of a debt.

When they finally found her, she was obviously in her church. She had a new man with her who was wearing some long robe. It was unlike hers in that it was richly adorned with stitch work and bright colors. Her mate spoke first. "Hello Lady Elsa. It's been a while. It seems you've found your new pastor to run the church." " _So that's what the oddly dressed man was."_ Holo thought to herself.

"It has. Have you two married yet, or are you still putting that off?" Lawrence smiled at her question. "Actually, we came to you for just that reason. Holo, I believe this is your question."

Holo's ears pricked up under her hood at the mention of her name. "Could we go somewhere private?" She watched as understanding spread across Elsa's face. "We can go into the study. Father Ryan, please wait here." As they entered the room and closed the door, Holo removed her robe to reveal her wolf ears and a bristling tail. "I am uncomfortable asking this, but you are the one who brought us together, so I feel indebted to you in a way." Elsa had a look of confusion on her face. "If I can do anything, I will try my best. Please do not hesitate to ask."

"Because we do not have a place to live in yet, we have not married. However, we have plans to marry soon after we finish building in what should be less than a year's time. Seeing as you are the reason we decided to be together in the end, I feel it is only right that you hold an important part in our wedding." Adopting a look of humility and respect she never shows to people often, Holo wanted to convey the depth of her intentions through this request. "Elsa Schtingheim, would you officiate our wedding and marry the two of us?"

The usually calm and serene Elsa was now the epitome of joy and happiness. "Yes! I would be honored, no, elated to be the one to marry you both! Just let me know when I should arrive. Thank you for allowing me to do this for you Holo. After all you have done for me and my village, I now feel as if I can do something that pays back for some of that."

"Oh, don't think so much of it." Holo said as she felt her embarrassment rising. Elsa allowed Holo to downplay the whole thing and she noticed. Although Holo didn't feel any worse for it. It wasn't long after that when Col walked in from the library.

"Lady Elsa, who's here? It sounds like…" He stopped mid-sentence as he walked into the room. "Ho… Holo? Lawrence? You're here!" Holo watched as the boy ran to embrace her and Lawrence tightly. She felt waves of happiness and nostalgia as he hugged her. "What brings you guys to Tereo?" he said through tears in his eyes.

Lawrence responded first. "Well, we were here to ask Miss Elsa here an important question. I was actually wondering if you were still traveling with her Col." The little one straightened slightly as he responded. "What was it?" Holo just looked up at the woman in front of her who was still smiling contentedly. "Well Col, Miss Holo here just asked me to marry them in the future when they finish their new home."

Col's eyes just snapped to Holo and Lawrence. "Where are you going to live?" Holo tussled the boy's hair grandly as she answered. "We are going north to Nyohhira. We purchased a hot spring after we visited Yoitsu and we plan to set up a bathhouse there." Col's eyes lit up as he heard her answer. Holo couldn't help smiling at the happiness of the young one she used to care for. But then she noticed how his eyes faltered back to the bun head behind him. "Miss Elsa, do you think I could go to help them set up? I will continue my studies as instructed."

"Well, I would like to continue your instruction here myself. But honestly, with the amount of clergy that pass through Nyohhira, you'd have more introductions there. Also, with the clergy being of a high ranking in the church, you may even get better instruction from them than from me."

Col looked up with a beaming expression of such joy and happiness that all present in the room smiled right with him. Lawrence responded next. "Well, I guess it's settled. You're going to be coming with us then."

The rest of the journey to Nyohhira was quite uneventful to Holo. Lawrence kept the meeting with Kieman very short. Holo didn't even go with him in favor of catch up with her little Col and telling him all he missed out on. When Lawrence returned, it was as if her mate had finally come into his own as he was standing tall and with pride and confidence. With a smile on his face he spoke, "I'm free to go to Nyohhira. Now to build you a home to live in so we can marry."

 **End of Chapter 4**

* * *

 **While I definitely wish this chapter was more exciting to write, it just couldn't end up that way. Without making each town its own chapter, I didn't have much of a way to make things more interesting on their travels. So that's why it may feel rushed and disjointed. I just couldn't seem to hammer it into something I liked, but I at least managed something I approve of. As for what I wrote exactly, I just couldn't stand the thought of some of the people Holo invited to the wedding in the book. I mean, why in the world would Holo invite Eve of all people? And while she didn't hate Fran, she found her quite abrasive. She outright detested Norah. And the only person they showed Lawrence inviting was Weiz of all people. So I felt a need to address that in its own way. This was the result. Writing from Holo's perspective was difficult, but fun. I was very glad when it was finished though. As for the people I had them invite here, I felt these people had far more of an impact on the two love birds. It just made more sense to use these people. I mean, why would Hasekura show Mark as such a good friend and then not show him coming to the wedding?!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Wolf and Contracts Finished**

Col and Lawrence were putting the final touches on Holo's present in the center of the hot spring. Holo had been banned from the hot springs for the passed two days to keep her from seeing it before it was finished. A man they had hired to inspect their work and stabilize everything gave his seal of approval. It was Col who had decided to do it the moment he heard Holo describe their adventures while in Kerube. "Lawrence, should we let Holo come back here now, or wait until the baths fill up again?"

"We should let the baths fill back up, so she can try it out properly." Col looked up thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Do you think everyone will show up soon? We sent out the letters about three months ago." Lawrence replied as he began to let the water in. "I received word from Jakob a week ago saying he was in Lesko, taking a break. So, we should be seeing people any day now. Elsa is likely to be the first to show up. However, Diana could easily overtake her if she travels faster."

"I guess we'll see when they get here." Col said happily. "How is the food coming along Lawrence? Has it all arrived?" Lawrence looked at him with sweat pouring off his face as he sat down. "Most of it has. We're just waiting for last thing to arrive."

"What is it?" Col asked curiously. "It's something for Holo alone. I couldn't afford enough for everyone. Honestly, if I ordered enough for the two of us, she'd likely take both portions for herself and bite my hand off if I reached for it." Col just kept the curious look on his face. "Col, trust me. You'd do better not knowing. I'm the one buying it, and I'm not likely to taste it. I almost wish I didn't know what I was buying." Col simply gave up on asking after that.

It wasn't long before Diana arrived. And it seemed she had Elsa in her carriage with her. "So, it seems that Diana overtook Elsa, Col."

Elsa stepped out first from the carriage. Lawrence greeted them all as they stepped out. "Hello! Welcome to our home." The two smiled in his direction pleasantly. Elsa was the first to respond. "I thank you for the honor of officiating your wedding."

"And I too am grateful for the pleasure of giving your bride away." Lawrence wondered just how the two of them traveled in the same carriage together for so long. They had such different personalities as well as the fact of Diana being an incarnation and Elsa being clergy. However, the two seemed to get along well enough.

"Well, you two must be tired. We finished our bathhouse just two days ago and plan to hold the wedding the day after the last guest arrives. So, let me show you to your rooms for now." Just as he said that, a cloud of dust started appearing over the horizon. As Lawrence looked at the growing dust devil approaching them, he was able to make out a familiar shape. It seemed that Jakob had used two horses and a strong cart to go as fast as possible. It seemed that Mark was the only one left to show up to Lawrence and Holo's bathhouse.

The group stood at the entrance to the bathhouse as they all waited to greet Jakob. He arrived before them in no time but had the decency to slow down before getting into town so as to now spread more of a dust cloud in the town than necessary.

Jakob hopped off of his cart and immediately picked up Lawrence in a hug. "My son is getting married! And to such a looker! So tell me, when's the big day?" Lawrence caught his breath before answering. "We're just waiting for Mark to show up and we'll have it the day after."

Elsa and Diana looked at each other before Diana responded. "So Lawrence, this is your father?" He understood the confusion and responded quickly. "Ehem. Not exactly. But he did teach me and had a hand of raising me in the Rowen Trading Guild. He calls all members of the guild his children." Jakob just smiled as he spoke. "And you'll remain my son forever Lawrence my boy! With this, you've cemented that."

Holo walked out of the front doors just before the group turned around to go inside. "I was taking a nap inside when I heard Jakob. Oh, you two are here as well! That leaves only Mark. It appears we should be married soon Lawrence." Lawrence beamed at his bride as she said this. "Well, should we show them to their rooms?"

"We shall, my dear Lawrence. Come, this way. I will give you the grand tour." Lawrence's tone became serious. "Don't go by the hot springs yet. Not until the baths are full. It may be ready when you're finished with the rest of the tour." Holo looked back as one who just got caught in her scheming. Everyone following Holo laughed. Even Elsa permitted herself a small chuckle at the scene in front of her.

After the tour was over inside the building, Lawrence was standing by the door to the baths. "Well, it seems the baths just got done filling up. It seems you'll all be able to see Holo's surprise at the same time she does." Holo's eyes sparkled with delight just as someone nocked on the door. "Well whoever is at the door should have a good excuse for interrupting my surprise!" Holo pouted. But all traces of childish anger disappeared as she opened the door to Mark and Adel.

"Hello Holo! Lawrence, sorry for being the last to show up it seems. I can't travel at the speed I used to. Even less so now that Adel is with me." Holo smiled as she spoke next. "Oh, think nothing of it. You are just in time to see the surprise Col came up with and Lawrence helped to build."

Adel answered this. "Well it seems that we are right on time then. We don't want to keep you from your surprise any longer, so let's see it!"

At that, the now complete group left for the bath. Holo pushed for the front so she would be the first to see. As she did, Lawrence could see her ears stick straight up under her hood as well as her robe slightly bulge out in the back. As he put his hand on her shoulder, she turned to him with a conflicted expression on her face. She was almost vibrating. However, the reason finally clicked with him as she seemed to be staring into his soul with her longing eyes. Before her sat a larger version of the island that made her want the second hot spring that Lawrence would have had to clean up first. And Lawrence and Col had built one just for her large enough to sustain her wolf form for years to come. She wanted to jump in and enjoy her new favorite spot, but didn't want to reveal anything to those who didn't know about her secret.

Jakob spoke up at the odd sight. "Um, Miss Holo, do you have something under your robe? It seems to be moving." Mark spoke for both himself and Adel. "Yah, I was noticing that as well." Holo looked at Lawrence in slight fear. "Should we tell them?" her eyes asked. Lawrence mouthed soundlessly, "Do you mind?" Holo immediately steeled herself and nodded.

They both turned to the three who didn't know, and Lawrence spoke for the still excited Holo. "Well, it seems you three are the ones who don't know our little secret. Holo." At his cue, she removed her outer robe to reveal her two pointed wolf ears and long wolf's tail. "I am not exactly human. I am the avatar of a giant wolf taking this form because I wanted to travel with Lawrence for a while longer." The three dropped their jaws in amazement. "But how?" Mark asked. To which Holo responded impatiently. "Now, if you all would either avert your eyes or go inside. I care not which, put I am about to remove my clothing for a minute." Getting the cue, they all went inside except for Lawrence and Col. They wanted to see her true reaction when she got on the island that they had spent all that time building. Col turned around out of respect and Lawrence just watched the sight of his bride elatedly change into a wolf.

As she changed, she was barely even fully done before she was already jumping into the baths, she was so excited. She quickly came up on the island happily to sniff all around it before laying down to find the most comfortable spots. "I will join you all again in a moment. Give me time to enjoy this, dry off, and put my clothes back on."

"Ok Holo. Don't take too long." Even in her wolf form, Lawrence could spot a sarcastic smile and eyeroll. He then walked back inside to the guests with Col. "So, I can imagine you three have a few questions. Now would be the time to ask any of them."

Mark was the first one to respond of the three of them. "Actually, Diana and Elsa did a pretty darn good job of explaining everything. So, you've basically got an eternal cutie on your hands who's already much older than you. Didn't know you were in to that kind of thing."

"I can still hear you!" Holo shouted from the baths, seeming to have just changed back. The three just froze while the others just hung their heads in shame for him. "Are her ears really that good?" Adel said in almost a whisper. "Yes! They are. If you must know, I can hear everything you say about me in my home!" Holo said with surprising intensity. After that, she walked in while drying her tail with a towel. "What's with those stunned faces? I'm not even in my wolf form anymore?"

Lawrence snapped his fingers to get their attention, finally bringing them out of their reverie. "No, Holo's not human. Yes, she still has feelings. Yes, we will both be upset if you treat her differently, knowing now what she is." He said that last part rather pointedly.

Jakob was the last person to say anything about Holo's appearance, but what he said simply shocked the two soon-to-be-newlyweds. "Well I for one am ecstatic to have such an amazing daughter-in-law added to my family. Humans can be so troublesome. Always fighting, bickering, and then fighting again! You always know what to expect from a wolf. It will fight to keep its pack alive, to protect its territory, and for itself. Not much more. If none of those are in jeopardy, a wolf will leave you alone and remain magnificent! At least, from a distance that is. And if you claim to be a wolf and not a human, I feel the same applies to you. Good Lord, your kids oughtta be interesting when you have them! Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

At some point everyone just looked at Jakob in stunned silence. Holo had a look of pure happiness and joy on her face while Lawrence just showed silent gratitude at his kind words. The rest were shocked at how well he took all this.

Then, Holo flung herself at Jakob to hug him. "If I didn't consider you a father before, I do now!" Surprised by the sudden reaction, Jakob finally processed what had just happened and returned Holo's embrace. At that, the rest of the guests finally calmed down and regained their looks of excitedness and joy for the happy couple.

Lawrence got their attention after Holo and Jakob released each other. "Ehem. We will be having the ceremony tomorrow now that everyone is here. That being said, I have some work to do, what with setting up the area with the village and all. We half expected you, Jakob, to be at least three days or more later than everyone else. So, that being said, Holo and Col will keep you all company and entertained while I go take care of the details."

At this, Holo took them to one of the larger sitting rooms where they had a bit of food waiting. Lawrence went to the villagers to set up for the wedding. As they worked setting up chairs and an archway made of straw and twigs tied together in a spectacular fashion, about three horses ran up to Lawrence, who had the biggest grin on his face. "I can't thank you enough Luward. Holo will love this." But to his surprise, the container was far bigger than he expected. "I thought I could only afford three?"

Luward just had a big grin on his face. "I managed to get a decent price. Although I did have to call in a few favors. And that's all I'm going to say on that. Call it a wedding gift. Also, tell her that one is specifically for you. She gets to choose which one though." Lawrence and Luward shared a laugh at the image of Holo that spread through both their minds at hearing she had to share this present. But then Lawrence continued. "Did you bring the other requests?"

Luward looked to Moizi and the other mercenary named Tayvor. Moizi got down from his horse with and unhooked something the size of a great shield from his horse, covered in a thick tarp. "I think it came out splendidly. The captain wouldn't accept three that came before this one, saying the wolf looked more like a fox." Moizi rolled his eyes as he said that. Then, Tayvor got off his horse and undid a pouch on his belt next to his money purse. Lawrence held his breath at this one because he was going to see this before anyone else, save for those who transported it.

As the man gave him the pouch, Lawrence quickly undid the drawstrings and retrieved two gold wedding rings. One was quite simple in comparison to the other, with a wolf head engraved on the side. This one was for Lawrence. The other was far more ornate. The way this was made was well worth four gold Debaus to buy. It was also a gold ring with a wolf motif. However, this one was carved with a wolf's head in place of where the diamond would be. The ring didn't quite connect, as the other end, in front of the head, was a wolf's tail. The body of the ring was scratched to look like wolf fur. It was quite the ring.

"Thank you. All of you. All I can offer you at the moment is a small meal in the bathhouse if Holo and the other guests haven't eaten it all already." The three mercenaries just laughed a bit and got back on their horses. Moizi spoke for them. "We will be fine with or without food. The pleasure we got from bearing these gifts and having the right to attend the wedding is thanks enough." With that, they left for the bathhouse.

Later that night, Lawrence returned home. It only had one thing left to do to complete it, and that had to be done with Holo. As he walked in, Holo was sniffing the tarped thing Moizi had pulled off of his horse and Tayvor held something else covered in a tarp. As Lawrence walked through the door, Holo exploded. "It's about time you showed up! You couldn't have sped up some, knowing this would be making me wait in agony? I wanted to see it the moment they arrived!" Lawrence only smiled. "Well I'm here now, so open it."

Without wasting any more time, Holo tore the tarp off as if it wasn't even there. In front of her was the sign for the bathhouse. Their bathhouse. The Spice and Wolf Bathhouse. Under the other tarp was the post to hold it in place. The mercenaries volunteered to dig to hole themselves to place the post. And in no time at all, the bathhouse and home for the happy couple was complete. After some light-hearted conversation, they all went to bed.

In the morning, Holo went off with the women, and Lawrence, the men. The ceremony was to be held in the middle of the village in front of the giant arch they had constructed the day before. A podium was set up for Elsa to place her scripture and other such things, which stood on top of a stage for Elsa and the bride and groom to stand on. There were plenty of chairs for all the village and the couple's guests out in front. While it looked fairly simple, it was exactly what Holo had asked for. She said repeatedly, she didn't want any fancy human thing at all at her wedding. She wanted nature. So, nature she received.

When the time finally came, everyone took their places. Guests sat in seats, groomsmen began walking a few people to certain chairs, musicians began playing songs, Elsa brought her scripture to the podium, Col brought the pillow holding the two rings to the podium next to her, and Lawrence took his place in front of the stage, dead center on the aisle. He was dressed quite well in a forest green tunic with a white, long sleeve shirt underneath, and dark brown trousers. His silver dagger hung prominently by his side.

Then, the music changed to announce the arrival of Holo the Wisewolf. She walked down the aisle in a splendid white dress. It was strapless with two frilly layers around the top of it. A white necklace with a red stripe at the top and bottom and a golden pendant adorned her neck. The bottom part of the dress consisted of three layers, each one longer than the last as it fell to the ground. A red cord was tied around her waist. She also wore gloves that covered her whole arm. They were ringed at the top with the same red as her necklace. In her arms, she carried a bouquet of sunflowers, baby's breath, and wheat. Two white roses were off to one side. Holo also had a veil over her head that marvelously covered her ears, yet still showing enough of her head to reveal a single red flower with two braided red cords hanging underneath it. Lawrence forgot how to breath as he watched her walk down the aisle.

Once she got to Lawrence's side, she took his hand, and the two ascended the stairs to reach the top of the stage and stand in front of a smiling Elsa. "You may be seated." As Elsa spoke this, all in attendance took their seats.

"Dear friends, and villagers, we have been brought before the Almighty to bear witness to the love and admiration these two people have for each other, and watch it give forth its fruit. The scriptures tell us that the man and woman alike will leave their homes and bond with each other under the sight of God. These two, have chosen to do just that. It is now that I ask you both these very important questions. Lawrence, do you promise to love, honor, hold, and keep Holo? Whether in sickness or health, happy or angry, crowded or lonely, and to cherish her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And Holo. Do you promise to love, honor, hold, and keep Lawrence? Whether in sickness or health, happy or stubborn, rich or poor, and to cherish him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

"I believe that there is one who stands to approve of Lawrence's union with Holo." Jakob stood up and spoke. "I approve of Lawrence's union. I have no objections." Elsa nodded with approval. "And I believe there is one who stands to give Holo away to Lawrence." Diana stood up from her chair. "I give Holo away to Lawrence. I have no objections." Elsa again nodded her approval. "With these promises made before God and many witnesses, the bride and groom have prepared a few words to say to one another."

Lawrence went first. Holo stared intently and happily into his eyes. "Holo, when I first met you, I didn't think it would be possible to be where I am now, marrying the beautiful woman who helped me achieve my lifelong dream in just under two years. While the road has been anything but easy, I have enjoyed the ride. And I promise that I will hold you tightly and never leave your side for as long as I have left on this earth. With this ring, I claim you as my own." And Lawrence placed the ring on Holo's ring finger. They never broke eye contact even when placing the ring.

After placing the ring, Holo began her words to Lawrence. "Lawrence, though I had seen you pass through my town many times before we officially met, I never dreamed that one day I would be marrying you. You have made me laugh, cry, and beat my head into a post more times than once. But I was always entertained while with you. You kept my life more interesting in the past two years than it has been over the combined total life experience I possess. You have withstood my rantings, my mood swings, my scheming, and my childish habits alike. And in the end, you still chose me. After all that, how could I say no? With this ring, I claim you as my own." Holo placed the ring on Lawrence's ring finger. And again, they never broke eye contact.

Elsa took over the ceremony again after the two had finished. "Now that the rings have been placed, I will now take this three-strand cord, and tie it around their waist." It was tied in such a way as to still allow for decent movement, but yet not be able to fall down. However, no matter how they may have struggled, they would be touching hips for the majority of the night. The original plan Elsa had in mind would have bound their wrists to each other. But Holo insisted on this, as it is as close to the mating ritual of wolves as you can get in public. She wanted to mix the traditional human wedding with that of the way of mating in the forest. Though not many would notice the inclusion as much different.

Then, Elsa began the ceremony's conclusion. "With the two joined at the hip, and under the sight of our Lord and before you all as witness, I declare with the power granted to me by the Almighty that these two are now man and wife! Lawrence, you may kiss your bride."

And with that, while Lawrence was positive that all in attendance had broken into thunderous applause. However, he never heard them as all noise was drowned out when he lifted Holo's veil and kissed her. When they parted, Lawrence couldn't rid himself of his childlike grin. Holo just looked at him and chuckled at his silly face. However, after her little chuckle, she bore one just like it. As they went on to where they were to have the feast, Lawrence signaled to Luward to bring the package. Holo looked at Lawrence with curiosity. After all, it wasn't time to receive any presents. Lawrence just beamed.

"Luward wanted me to tell you Holo, that there is one specifically in there for me. However, you get to choose just which one that is. You can open it now." The way the jar was sealed, Holo couldn't smell anything inside, so apon opening its lid, she melted in pure joy. If jumping wouldn't have thrown both of their hips out of place due to the cord binding them, she would have leapt into his arms. For in front of her lay a total of seven honey pickled peaches.

"We never got to buy the one in that shop back then. And the look on your face after all that hard work to pay for the single peach was more than I could bear. So, I vowed that one day, I would give them to you." Holo almost started to cry, water pooling at the corners of her eyes. But they never did release. Instead, holo grabbed a knife, cut into one of the peach slices, and held it between her and Lawrence. And in a surprising display of unity from Holo, she said, "Today we become one. So, we shall share these peaches until there are no more or we can no longer handle the sweetness."

At this, Lawrence was the one to cry as they both bit into opposite sides of the peach. The look on Holo's face after taking that first bite spoke that she immediately regretted saying she would share with Lawrence. But she was a determined wolf who never went back on her word, even when Lawrence insisted that she was free from her promise. They went on like this for the rest of the night. They laughed with friends and villagers, ate delicious food, drank sweetened, high quality wine, and danced the night away until they were all too tired to stand.

When all came to a close, the villagers went home, and the guests of The Spice and Wolf Bathhouse owners went to their rooms. Lawrence and Holo went to bed for the first time without any teasing or fussing as they slipped into bed. Together.

* * *

Approximately two years later, Holo had started acting moody lately. They had not been fighting at all, so Lawrence had no idea what was putting her in such a bad mood. She seemed to get sick easy as well, which worried him. The nearest doctor was too far away, and they only had someone in the town who could administer general first aid. So, if Holo were to become truly sick, it was possible that they would not be able to get a doctor for several days, if not weeks.

Holo usually liked to spend her evenings curled up on the island that he and Col had built for her, but for the past few weeks, she had been either sitting in the water, or laying on her back by the springs to avoid resting on her sensitive stomach. However, just as Lawrence was about to insist that they either go see a doctor or call one here, Holo called out his name from the hot springs.

"Lawrence, where are you?" He ran to his wife's side. "What is it? Are you still feeling sick?" While she nodded in the affirmative, she seemed oddly happy. That confused Lawrence as she couldn't stand being sick since it made her mind hazy. But this time she seemed to be glowing from within.

"Lawrence, I think I know what's making me sick. I think I'm pregnant with our child."

"Are you sure."

"Mmhmm!"

Holo said this with a beaming smile brighter than she'd ever shown before.

Lawrence fainted into the hot spring.

 **The End**

* * *

 **This was probably my second favorite part to write. I considered writing this from Holo's perspective before I finished chapter 4, but decided against it when I finished it. After writing this chapter, I'm glad I didn't. it would have helped nothing as well as preventing the interactions I gave to Lawrence. Also, with most of the scenes being either dialogue or the wedding taking place, there wasn't much room left for character thoughts distinguishing much from that of Lawrence's, with the exception of minor terminology. Anyway, This was one of the last things I felt it was almost a crime to leave out! How could you not even reference the wedding or how it went? Holo's dress came from the artwork included in book 17 that was never actually used in the story. I'm still salty about that. I mean, why make something so good that's never used once? And the final part where Holo tells Lawrence that she's pregnant, while I didn't dislike how it happened in book 17, I simply wanted to write it a different way. It made sense that he would be happy in that context. He finally realized Holo wasn't mad, he was surrounded by people he cared about, and Holo was quite happy herself. Of course he would be happy. However, in the context I decided to go with, it was just another day after Holo had been getting morning sickness for a while. So having it simply sprung on him when he was already worried, I feel the situation would have been much different than in the book.**

 **I hope you enjoyed what is likely to be my "one hit wonder." I probably won't be making this a regular thing, but you never know. Another whim may overtake me and I may write again! That's usually how these things work. I'll get amazing inspiration and create something I've never done before in record time. But I don't normally write fanfiction due to the sole fact of liking the original too much to want to change it. This was a rare exception in that it was an entire section I found issue with. There was so much I felt was left out, it warranted an entire story as a result. Most other stories I would choose from, there's nothing I would change. If someone gave me a scenario to use, I might be able to come up with something, but I'd still have to know the canon, appreciate the source, and then find a way to write it without changing the established canon. I guess you could classify my style as the "fixer" or "filler" fanfiction writer. Because everything I would do either classifies as a "story fix" or "filler" due to my inherent need to not change the story unless warranted. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and have a great day!  
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